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Comparative diagnostic performance of TACT^® slices and its multiple source images: an in vitro study

Department of Stomatology, Federal University of Santa Catarina School of Dentistry, Florianopolis, SC, Brasil

*Correspondence to: Dr M Abreu Jr, Associate Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Department of Stomatology, Federal University of Santa Catarina School of Dentistry, Rod. Admar Gonzaga, 841/427 - Itacorubi, Florianopolis, SC, Brasil, 88034-000; Email: murillo{at}ccs.ufsc.br

Received 23 January 2004; accepted 19 March 2004

Objective: To compare the diagnostic performances provided by tuned aperture computed tomography (TACT^®) slices and the multiple images that they originate from in the detection of primary caries on the proximal surfaces of posterior teeth.

Study design: Eight direct digital radiography images of each of 40 posterior teeth were acquired with a digital sensor. These source images were used to generate TACT^® slices of the teeth. Eight trained observers were calibrated in the use of both TACT^® slices and the eight source images of each tooth. They were asked to assess the presence/absence of proximal caries in the teeth using a 5-point rating scale. Observers’ assessments were compared with the ground truth provided by histological examination of tooth sections. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (A_z) were calculated for each combination of observer and image modality. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the ROC values for potential statistical differences.

Results: Mean ROC A_z values were 0.760 for TACT^® slices and 0.771 for its multiple source images for the detection of primary proximal caries. ANOVA showed no statistically significant differences either between modalities (P=0.656) or between observers (P=0.851).

Conclusion: TACT^® slices and its multiple source images provide comparable diagnostic performance for proximal caries detection.

Keywords: TACT; direct digital images; caries detection; ROC; comparative study

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