ArticleClinical oral investigations2019
Impact of the radiographic method on treatment decisions related to dental caries in primary molars: a before-after study.
Article in Clinical oral investigations, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02078453 (CARies DEtection in Children - Impact of the Radiographic Examination on Diagnosis and Treatment Decision of Caries Lesions in Primary Teeth), which is not on this map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
CARies DEtection in Children - Impact of the Radiographic Examination on Diagnosis and Treatment Decision of Caries Lesions in Primary Teeth
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Effects of calcium-containing solutions on fluorescence-detectable plaque area and enamel mineral volume: an in vitro and exploratory clinical study.BMC oral health · 2026Trial
- Negligible therapeutic impact, false-positives, overdiagnosis and lead-time are the reasons why radiographs bring more harm than benefits in the caries diagnosis of preschool children.BMC oral health · 2021Trial
- Estimated compared with actual plans of paediatric dental treatment performed under deep sedation: A retrospective cohort study.International journal of paediatric dentistry · 2025Article
- Radiation Exposure and Frequency of Dental, Bitewing and Occlusal Radiographs in Children and Adolescents.Journal of personalized medicine · 2023Article
- Association of Dietary Fluoride Intake and Diet Variables with Dental Caries in Adolescents from the ELEMENT Cohort Study.Caries research · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo evaluate the impact of radiographic examination on changes of treatment decision related to dental caries compared to decisions guided by visual inspection alone in primary molars. MATERIALS AND
methodsA total of 126 children aged 3-6 years who had sought dental assistance were randomly selected and examined by two calibrated examiners using visual inspection. A treatment plan regarding dental caries was generated based on this assessment. The same examiners then evaluated two bitewing radiographs, creating an additional treatment plan guided by concurrent assessment of both visual and radiographic methods. Occlusal and proximal surfaces of primary molars received a treatment decision as follows: (i) no treatment, (ii) non-operative treatment, and (iii) operative treatment. The frequency of changes in the treatment decision after radiographic examination was calculated, with subsequent Poisson multilevel regression analysis to evaluate variables influencing such changes.
resultsChanges from "no treatment" decided with visual inspection to "non-operative treatment" after radiographic evaluation occurred in 52 surfaces (3.2%), and changes to "operative treatment" were observed in 46 dental surfaces (2.8%). Furthermore, 50 surfaces (6.2%) had their treatment decision changed from non-operative to operative treatment after radiographic assessment. In addition, changes were significantly more frequent in children with higher caries experience, on proximal surfaces and in 1st primary molars.
conclusionsThe impact of radiographic examination on changes in the treatment decision of primary molars made with visual inspection is modest. Changes are more frequent in children with higher caries experience and in proximal surfaces. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The benefits of the radiographic method for detecting caries in children, as a protocol in the diagnostic process, seem to be overestimated; the impact of this method on changes in treatment decision made by visual examination alone is low. Radiographs could be, however, useful in particular conditions, such as in children with high caries experience.
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