title: Further statistics in dentistry, Part 5: Diagnostic tests for oral conditions.
abstract: A diagnostic test is a simple test, sometimes based on a clinical measurement, which is used when the gold-standard test providing a definitive diagnosis of a given condition is too expensive, invasive or time-consuming to perform. The diagnostic test can be used to diagnose a dental condition in an individual patient or as a screening device in a population of apparently healthy individuals.
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Unit, Eastman Dental Institute for Oral Health Care Sciences, University College London, 256 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8LD. a.petrie@eastman.ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petrie
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bulman
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Osborn
mesh_terms: D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003945:Diagnosis, Oral / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity