Film and digital radiography for detection of simulated root resorption cavities

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to evaluate observers' ability to detect simulated root resorption cavities in conventional radiographs and digital radiographs from a charge-coupled device system and a storage phosphor system and to determine whether the detectability was influenced by resorption size and exposure. Study design. In teeth from dry mandibular jaw specimens, resorptive defects 1.2 mm in diameter and at two different depths (0.6 and 0.9 mm) were prepared in the buccal root surface. Each tooth was radiographed at a number of different exposure settings. Observers were asked to rate their confidence that a resorption was or was not present using a five-graded confidence scale. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to evaluate the results. Results and conclusion. Given optimal exposures, all systems reached what might be considered clinically acceptable A,values (>0.75). The storage phosphor system reached this value at considerably lower exposures than those required for both the film and charge-coupled device systems. There was a tendency to better detect the deeper lesions and to identify them at lower exposures.