Errors in diagnosis of approximal caries on bitewing radiographs.

The number of overlapped and unreadable surfaces occurring on bitewing radiographs of 1,417 children participating in a clinical trial was recorded. Of erupted surfaces, only 73.3% were completely visible to both participating examiners. Interexaminer and intraexaminer reproducibility ratios were calculated according to the F.D.I. recommendations. The ratios obtained in the present study ranged from 0.06 to 0.36. Almost 57% of approximal cavities were diagnosed on radiographic examination only: 21% were diagnosed clinically, but were not apparent on the radiographs.