New Dental Technology

​Although laser fluorescence detectors can assist in the early detection of cavities, there are also a large number of false-positive results associated with the devices.

You might notice a new piece of gadgetry in your dentist’s office the next time you go to get a cavity filled as new laser fluorescence detectors like the Diagnodent from Kavo and Air Technique’s Spectra are becoming increasingly common in many dental offices around the nation today. The devices are designed to assist in the early detection of dental cavities and it is estimated that one out of four dentists in the U.S. will eventually be using these new dental problem detection tools.

The new fluorescent detectors strive to achieve non-invasive dentistry through their use as both monitoring and diagnostic dental tools. Even though traditional visual exams and X-rays are still the preferred and most trusted diagnostic methods used by most dentists today, the makers of the fluorescent detectors claim they have succeeded in “building a better mousetrap” because they are effective, less susceptible to misreads, don’t need constant recalibration and they are quite easy for most dentists to operate.

Although the new fluorescent laser detectors aids cost around $30,000 each, some dentists are already finding them invaluable in their practices because they have succeeded in helping detect many massive “iceberg” cavities that are out of sight and under the surface where the traditional use of the dentist’s eyes, hands, and X-rays might have missed them. However, not all dentists are convinced the detectors are necessary and some are saying the laser technique doesn’t always deliver on its promise of early cavity detection and that they can also lead to unnecessary dental surgery.

A recent study published by the American Dental Association (ADA) found that the devices tended to exhibit a large number of false-positive results for cavities, and their use as a principal diagnostic tool is limited. Jennifer Healey, a spokeswoman from Air Technique, which makes the Spectra detector, has admitted that the devices are susceptible to misuse, but maintained that they are accurate and that because some overzealous dentists make mistakes and end up performing unnecessary drillings when using the devices “is not our fault.”

Some dentists still have the opinion that traditional visual exams and X-rays are more than enough to detect almost all cavities today, and that drilling teeth based on a positive fluorescence diagnosis alone could be a solution looking for a problem. However, because so very few dental patients will seek a second opinion on a particular diagnosis, it remains unclear how much potentially unnecessary drilling has been performed since the laser fluorescence detectors hit the marketplace. For now, the best advice might just be to find a dentist that you trust and remember that these new devices should never be used as standalone diagnostic tools by themselves.