A study of selection criteria for intraoral dental radiography.

This study was undertaken to determine whether adequate diagnostic information could be obtained from a thorough clinical examination supplemented with a limited number of intraoral radiographs, the exact number of films determined in each case by applying a set of historical and/or clinical selection criteria. The 100 patients in this study required an average of 8.2 periapical radiographs (range, 0 to 18), in addition to posterior bitewing films to complete the diagnostic process. Later evaluation of complete-mouth surveys on these patients revealed that no cases of periodontitis, no periapical lesions, and no impacted teeth were overlooked when selection criteria were used. Forty-two unsuspected abnormalities were found, but only three of these required treatment-a root tip close to the surface and enlarged follicular spaces distal to two clinically erupted third molars.