Decision making in radiographic imaging

In 1987, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued guidelines for prescription of dental radiographic examinations, and although these recommendations have been reprinted in several widely circulated publications, it seems that the adoption of these guidelines is far from common, even among U.S. dental schools. The recommended criteria are founded on the existing knowledge of prevalence and progression of the most common dental diseases and on the fact that occult diseases within the jaws are uncommon. There are, however, other factors that may influence the decision on the time and extent of a radiographic examination, which may lead to deviations from the suggested guidelines. These factors include: education, peer influence, patient's preference, legal considerations, the dentist's field of interest or specialty, the training of the staff, and practice routine. The diagnostic interpretation of radiographs is far from a completely objective process, even if it is a question as simple as the presence and/or extent of a carious lesion. Numerous studies have shown a large variation among observers, both with regard to the occurrence and extent of carious lesions, in bite-wing radiographs. Caries diagnosis is only one example of many situations where significant observer variation is found. The more complex the diagnostic task, the more variation can be expected. The effect of observer variation on treatment decisions regarding carious lesions is used as an example of the problems encountered daily in the dental practice.