title: Impact of low level magnification on incipient occlusal caries diagnosis and treatment decision making.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This in-vitro study aimed to test the accuracy and reproducibility in detection of incipient occlusal caries and treatment decision making using unenhanced visual-tactile technique and low level magnification by the use of loupes and surgical operating microscope (SOM).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty extracted human posterior teeth were assessed by two examiners using ICDAS- II index and CPI- TN probe, with and without magnification. Histopathology was used as gold standard for diagnosis of caries and treatment decision making. Inter and intra examiner reproducibility was determined using Kappa statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intraobserver reproducibility for caries detection using surgical operating microscope ranged from average to good (0.4-0.63). Inter-examiner reproducibility values for treatment decision making using experimental techniques such as unaided (0.40), Loupes (0.51) & SOM (0.63) were similar.
authors.affiliation: Post Graduate Student, Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, JSS Dental College & Hospital , Mysore, Karnataka, India .
authors.forename: Neha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sisodia
authors.affiliation: Professor and HOD, Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, JSS Dental College & Hospital , Mysore, Karnataka, India .
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Manjunath
keywords: Decision making; Dental caries; Diagnosis; Observer variation; Sensitivity; Specifi city