Preliminary investigation into the validity of dentists' decisions to restore occlusal surfaces of permanent teeth.
This study investigates the validity of the treatment decisions made by 10 hospital dentists, who examined the fissures of extracted teeth using a visual-only technique. The study shows that 8 of the 10 dentists were more likely to leave carious teeth unrestored than unnecessarily treat sound teeth. The authors suggest that this system of diagnosing occlusal caries is a satisfactory one in terms of its sensitivity and specificity.
Kay
E J
EJ
University of Glasgow, Department of Community Medicine, Scotland.
Watts
A
A
Paterson
R C
RC
Blinkhorn
A S
AS
D003731:Dental Caries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent; D003815:Dentists; D006801:Humans; D008963:Molar; D010865:Pilot Projects