Influência dos meios de apresentação da imagem digital no diagnóstico e tratamento da cárie proximal realizado por alunos da graduação em Odontologia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of the different digital radiographic display means on proximal caries detection and the consequent treatment decision chosen by undergraduates. 40 digital images of human extracted teeth were obtained. The proximal surfaces of those teeth were evaluated for the presence of proximal caries by 36 dentistry undergraduates, divided in three groups base on their degree of knowledge. For each surface, the chosen therapeutic treatment should also be indicated. The evaluations were done on a laptop and on printed digital images using a negatoscope. The accuracy of the display means for incipient caries detection was evaluated by the means of the areas under ROC curve (Az) and its effect by mixed linear regression. For the chosen therapeutic treatment sediment analyses was done to verify its adequacy to the diagnosis. There was no significant effect neither for the display modality (p=0.058), nor to the student groups (p=0.991). The mean area under the ROC curve for the printed images was 0.539 and 0.516 digital images. Treatment decision was consistent with the chosen diagnosis. The accuracy of proximal caries detection on digital images viewed in a laptop was comparable to printed images. The therapeutic decision was not affected by the digital radiographic image display modalities. The undergraduate progression on dentistry program does not enhance their precision to detect proximal caries.