NGHIÊN CỨU GIÁ TRỊ CHẨN ĐOÁN SÂU RĂNG SỚM CỦA LASER HUỲNH QUANG DIAGNODENT TRÊN BỆNH NHÂN ĐẾN KHÁM VÀ ĐIỀU TRỊ TẠI BỆNH VIỆN RĂNG HÀM MẶT THÀNH PHỐ HỒ CHÍ MINH NĂM 2025-2026

Abstract

 Background: Dental caries is a highly prevalent condition in clinical dental practice, particularly affecting molars, where lesions often progress insidiously and are difficult to detect at an early stage. Current diagnostic approaches mainly rely on clinical examination and radiography; however, these methods have limitations in identifying non-cavitated enamel demineralization. The Diagnodent laser fluorescence device enables early caries detection through quantitative fluorescence measurements, providing objective assessment and facilitating monitoring of lesion progression. Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the Diagnodent laser fluorescence device in detecting early caries lesions on molars at Ho Chi Minh City OdontoStomatology Hospital in 2025–2026. Materials and methods:  A diagnostic accuracy study was conducted on 1,850 molars from patients aged 18–45 years presenting without clinically visible cavitation. Lesions were assessed using Diagnodent and compared against the reference standard. Results: For occlusal surfaces, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.882 (95% CI: 0.862– 0.903), with an optimal cutoff value of 9.50 yielding a sensitivity of 82.5% and specificity of 86.6%. For buccal surfaces, the AUC was 0.826 (95% CI: 0.769–0.883), with a cutoff value of 6.50, sensitivity of 67%, and specificity of 95.7%. Lingual surfaces demonstrated the highest diagnostic performance, with an AUC of 0.913 (95% CI: 0.862–0.963), a cutoff value of 9.50, sensitivity of 85.9%, and specificity of 96.2%. Conclusion: The Diagnodent laser fluorescence device demonstrates high diagnostic accuracy in detecting early caries lesions in adult molars, particularly on lingual and occlusal surfaces. The device provides good sensitivity and specificity, supporting its clinical utility in early diagnosis and longitudinal monitoring of caries progression.