Search Submit Your Manuscript

Become A Member

  1. Home
  2. April 2014
  3. 1. Reliability of Cast Index for Dental Caries Detection
Article Image
Admin

1. Reliability of Cast Index for Dental Caries Detection

1. Aeeza Malik 2. Malik Saleem Shaukat 3. Ambrina Qureshi 4. Abdur Rasheed

1. Trainee of Community Dentistry, DUHS, Karachi 2. Asstt. Prof. of Science of Dental Materials,  MM&DC, Multan 3. Assoc. Prof. of Community Dentistry, DUHS, Karachi 4. Senior Lecturer of Biostatistics.

Dept. of Research, DUHS, Karachi.

ABSTRACT

Objective: To access the inter-examiner reliability of CAST (Caries Assessment Spectrum and Treatment) index for detecting dental caries status among patients visiting a public sector dental hospital of Karachi, Pakistan. 

Study Design: Cross sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in the dental diagnostic outpatient department of a public sector dental hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, over a period of one month from September 2013 to October 2013 Materials and Methods: Selected/consented participants were examined for dental caries status by the two trained and calibrated examiners using CAST index. A structured and validated proforma was used to record the findings. The inter-examiner reliability was undertaken to find out the reproducibility of this novel method of caries examination. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS software at 5% level of significance. Descriptive statistics were performed that involved the frequencies of age and gender. Inter-examiner reliability of CAST was assessed using percentage agreement and Cohen's Kappa value.

Results:  A total of 100 subjects were recruited for the present study. There were 63% females and 37% males with a mean age of 31±17 years. The percentage agreements obtained for the two examiners were between 70-100% for 9 different codes of the CAST index. The Cohen's Kappa value identified was 0.99.

Conclusion: A strong inter-examiner reliability has been observed for scoring the CAST index which exemplifies the entire patho-physiological phases of dental caries. Results of this study substantiate the potential of CAST index for reproducibly scoring the enamel, dentine and pulp lesions.

Key Words:  Dental Caries, Primary Prevention, Reproducibility of Results.