A in vitro study comparing Digital Periapical Radiography and Cone Beam Computed Tomography for detecting root resorption in primary molars: a pediatric dentistry perspective

Objectives The aim of this study was compare the accuracy of digital periapical radiography (DPR) and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in detecting root resorption in primary molars. Materials and Methods The sample was composed of 43 upper and lower primary molars, with and without root resorption. The teeth were placed in a dry human skull to obtain images using both digital radiography and tomography. A calibrated examiner interpreted the radiographic images initially and examined the tomographic images after seven days to identify the presence of root resorption. The examiner repeated the procedure two weeks after the initial assessment. The intra-examiner agreement was estimated using the Kappa test. A Kappa value of 0.84 was obtained for the radiographic and tomographic assessments. Results A statistically significant difference was found between CBCT and DPR in relation to the distal root of lower teeth (p = 0.03) and the palatal root of upper teeth (p = 0.05). The sensibility and specificity values for CBCT were 73.8% and 70.5%, respectively, and for DPR were 52.1% and 65.5%. Conclusion This study showed that CBCT radiographic technique demonstrated higher accuracy, sensitivity and specificity compared to DPR for detecting root resorption in primary molars. Clinical Relevance: The CBCT radiographic technique has shown superior accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity when compared to DPR in detecting root resorption in primary molars, highlighting it the potential of CBCT as a more dependable diagnostic tool for identifying such pathologies emphasizing its clinical significance in pediatric dentistry.