January 1999, Volume 28, Issue 1, Pages 31 – 36

Original Article

Comparison of observer reliability in assessing alveolar bone changes from color-coded with subtraction radiographs X-Q Shi1,3, I Eklund1, G Tronje1, U Welander1, HC Stamatakis1, P-E Engström2 & G Norhagen Engström2 1Department of Oral Radiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden     2Department of Periodontology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden     3Author for correspondence: Department of Oral Radiology, Karolinska Institutet, Box 4064, S-141 04 Huddinge, Sweden

Keywords

radiography, dental;   perception;   digital radiography, dental;   periodontal diseases

Abstract

Objectives: To assess intra- and interobserver agreement on marginal changes in periodontal bone from color-coded compared with subtraction radiographs. Methods: Sequential radiographs from patients undergoing periodontal treatment were acquired using direct digital intra-oral radiography. Fifty-one pairs of color-coded and subtraction radiographs were produced and evaluated twice by six dentists for changes in marginal bone. Intra- and interobserver agreement were calculated. Results: Intra-observer agreement was significantly higher for the color-coded radiographs (P<0.05). Interobserver agreement was significantly higher for color-coded radiographs at the second (P<0.001) but not the first (P=0.34) evaluation. Conclusions: Color coding of radiographic differences by means of image addition may be a feasible alternative to the subtraction technique for evaluating periodontal bone changes.

Received 17 February 1998; Accepted 13 September 1998

^© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 1997