Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.) in Dentistry
Department
College of Dental Medicine
First Advisor
Bronstein, Diana
Publication Date / Copyright Date
8-2015
Publisher
Nova Southeastern University
NSUWorks Citation
Mark McCawley. 2015. Comparing the efficacy of laser fluorescence and explorer examination in detecting subgingival calculus in vivo. Master's thesis. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, College of Dental Medicine. (65)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hpd_cdm_stuetd/65.
Abstract
This paper investigated the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and precision of laser fluorescence and tactile probing for the detection of subgingival calculus. The gold standard for subgingival calculus detection has always been tactile probing. In this study 27 teeth were collected and 108 surfaces investigated, one tooth was excluded (group #13) where no calculus was observed on any surface, and three surfaces because of subgingival root caries to avoid confounding data, which left a total of 101 surfaces of 26 extracted teeth that meet the investigation criteria. The presence of subgingival calculus was observed on 75 tooth surfaces (74.25%). There was a correlation between tooth surface and the presence of calculus. Subgingival calculus was from most to least frequently observed on the Distal surface (92.0%), Lingual surface (76.9%), Mesial surface (70.8%) and Facial surface (57.7%). The amount of laser fluoresce increased according to the amount of subgingival calculus. There was a correlation between the amount of subgingival calculus and the amount of laser fluorescence. The tactile probing had a similar sensitivity compared to laser fluorescence for the detection of subgingival calculus. The laser fluorescence was more specific compared to tactile probing for the detection of subgingival calculus. The tactile probing had a similar accuracy compared to laser fluorescence for the detection of subgingival calculus. The laser fluorescence had more precision compared to tactile probing for the detection of subgingival calculus. These results show that by using both tactile probing and laser fluorescence the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and precision of detecting subgingival calculus can be increased. An increase in the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and precision of detecting subgingival calculus could help in the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from gingival recession and periodontal disease.
Disciplines
Dentistry
Keywords
Health and environmental sciences, Subgingival calculus, Tactile probing, Tooth sensitivity
Files
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