A study of selection criteria for intraoral dental radiography.
This study was undertaken to determine whether adequate diagnostic information could be obtained from a thorough clinical examination supplemented with a limited number of intraoral radiographs, the exact number of films determined in each case by applying a set of historical and/or clinical selection criteria. The 100 patients in this study required an average of 8.2 periapical radiographs (range, 0 to 18), in addition to posterior bitewing films to complete the diagnostic process. Later evaluation of complete-mouth surveys on these patients revealed that no cases of periodontitis, no periapical lesions, and no impacted teeth were overlooked when selection criteria were used. Forty-two unsuspected abnormalities were found, but only three of these required treatment-a root tip close to the surface and enlarged follicular spaces distal to two clinically erupted third molars.
Brooks
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D011859:Radiography; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*