Near-infrared light transillumination for occlusal caries detection in dog teeth: A comparative study

The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of visual, radiologic, and near-infrared light transillumination caries detection methods on caries of dog teeth in-vitro. A total of 237 dog molar teeth were evaluated with three different methods; visio-tactile examination with a probe, radiographic assessment, and NIR-LT. Each tooth was evaluated with all of the methods; the absence or presence of occlusal caries was scored as either 0, caries not present, or 1, caries present. All caries detection methods yielded the same outcomes for each tooth. Among all caries detection methods positive Spearman's rho value (rho=1) indicated that there was a strong positive correlation between the caries detection methods. Since NIR-LT is such a comfortable and easy caries diagnosis method, it can be used without sedation, especially in calm dogs.