Reporting of dental status from full-arch radiographs: Descriptive analysis and methodological aspects

Table 1 Entities of dental status and their surrogates in oral health: Left column notes the entities of dental status, which can be assessed from a full-arch radiograph

Focused entities	Subject of clinical dentistry	Surrogate of oral health
Alveolar bone loss, furcation and vertical bony defects	Periodontology, implantology	Periodontitis/inflammation, risk of tooth loss
Fillings/inlays	Operative dentistry	Oral hygiene, caries, decay, risk for massive fillings/partial crowns
Massive filling/partial crown	Operative dentistry, prosthodontics	Risk of root canal treatment, risk for crown-treatment
Crowns and fixed dental prosthesis/pontics	Prosthodontics, periodontology	Massive decay (even of healthy teeth), risen risk for caries and endodontic problems, risk for bone loss and fracture (missing teeth), missing teeth
Root canal filling and root posts	Operative dentistry, endodontology, prosthodontics	High number of life events of intervention, risk of tooth loss by fracture/inflammation, need for crown
Apical lesion	Endodontology, oral surgery	High risk of tooth loss, poor root canal treatment, inflammation
Missing teeth	Prosthodontics, implantology	High number of life events of interventions, former inflammations, trauma, hypodontia, malocclussion
Implants	Periodontology, prosthodontics	Missing teeth, higher risk for inflammation (periimplantitis), occlusal rehabilitation
Edentoulism	Prosthodontics, oral surgery	High number of life events, no further risk of odontogenic inflammation (caries, periodontitis, apical lesions)

Their possible relation as a surrogate of oral health is shown in the right column. The involved subjects of Dental Medicine are noted in the middle column. Reading the table from top to down, it has to be considered, that surrogates include content of cells above.

Table 2 Evaluated articles and encountered mode of report: All full-text reviewed articles are sorted by the year of publication

Ref.	Number of X- rays evaluated	Ia: Number of teeth	IIa: Fillings	IIb: Caries	IIc: Restorations	IIIa: RCF	IIIb: apF	IV: ABL
Helenius-Hietala et al[17] 2011b	212	N[r-teeth](mean,SD)[pat]	ND	N[pat] (mean)/G[spec]	ND	ND	NR	mm(mean,SD)/pat; meanABL[pat]/G[spec]; N[teeth+G[ABL]] (mean,SD)/G[spec]
Yoshihara et al[40] 2011a	177	N[r-teeth](mean,SD)[pat]/G[spec,gender]	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
Andersen et al[28] 2011b	52	N[r-teeth](mean,SD, median,Q)[pat]/G(age)	ND	ND	ND	Combined: N[teeth](mean,SD,median,Q)[pat]/G[age]; N[teeth](F,%)[toothtype]/G[age]		ND
Seppänen et al[18] 2011b	84	N[r-teeth](median,rg) [pat]	ND	N[pat](F,%)[all pat], G[spec]	ND	ND	ND	N[pat](F)[ND]/G[spec]
Willershausen et al[9] 2011d	2374?	N[r-teeth](mean?)/ G[age,spec], N[m-teeth](mean)/G[age]	N[teeth](mean,SD)[pat]/G[spec], N[pat](%)/G[age]	N[teeth](mean,SD)[pat]/G[spec], N[pat](%)/G[age]	N[teeth](mean,SD)[pat]/G[spec]; N[pat](%)/G[age]	N[teeth](mean,SD)[pat]/G[spec], N[pat](%)/G[age]	ND	ND
Kirkevang et al[22] 2009b	470	N[r-teeth](median,rg)[pat]/G[age]	N[teeth+1,2,3 surfaces](median,range)[pat]/G[age,toothtype]	N[teeth](median,rg)[pat]/G[age,tooth-type]	ND	ND	ND	ND
Saeves et al[10] 2009d	93	N[m-teeth](mean)[pat]/G[age,spec]	N[teeth](mean)[pat]/G[age,spec]	ND	“Some”	N[teeth](%)[all teeth]; N[pat](F)[spec]	ND	ND
Tarkkila et al[13] 2008b	161	N[r-teeth] (mean,SD)[pat]/G[spec]	Combined with clinical examination: N[DMFT,DT,FT](mean,SD)[pat]/G[spec]		ND	NR	NR	ND
Buhlin et al[49] 2007b	51	N[r-teeth] (mean,SD)[pat]/G[spec,all]	N[DMFS](mean,SD)[pat]/G[spec,all]; N[DMFT](mean,SD)[pat]/G[spec,all]		ND	ND	N[lesions](F,%)[pat]/G[spec]	N[pat](F,%)/G[grade]
Nalçaci et al[26] 2007d	190	N[r-,m-teeth] (mean,SD)[pat]/G[gender,tooth-type]	N[teeth](median,SD)[pat]/G[gender,all]	N[teeth](median,SD) [pat]/G[gender,all]	N[FPD](F,%)/G[gender,jaw] N[teeth](SD,median)[pat]	N[teeth](median,SD) [pat]/G[gender,all]	N[teeth](median,SD)[pat]/G[gender,all]	N[pat](median, SD)[ND ABL]/G[gender]
Huumonen et al[3] 2007b	95	N[m-teeth](F)/G[spec]	ND	N[teeth](F)/G[spec]; N[findings?](F)/G[spec]	ND	N[teeth](F)/G[spec]	N[teeth](F)/G[spec];	N[pat](F)/G[spec]
Jansson et al[36] 2006c	191?	N[r-teeth] (mean,SD)[pat]/ G[spec]	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	N[pat](F)/G[spec]
Tabrizi et al[11] 2006c	20	N[r-teeth] (F,mean,SD)[pat]	N[DMFS,DMFT](mean,SD)[pat]/G[spec]		Included to DMFT?	ND	ND	ABL(mean)[pat]
Skudutyte-Rysstad et al[30] 2006d	146	ND	ND	ND	ND	N[pat+tooth](F,%)[all]; N[pat]/N[teeth](F); N[teeth](F,%)/G[spec]	N[pat+tooth](F,%)[all]; N[teeth](F)[grade]; N[pat]/N[teeth](F); N[teeth](F,%)[all]/G[spec]	ND
Peltola et al[31] 2006a	307	NR via DMFT	NR via DMFT N[pat](F)[DMFT = 0]/G[spec]	N[lesions](mean,SD) [pat]/G[spec]	ND	N[teeth](mean,SD)[pat]/G[spec]	N[lesions](mean,SD)[pat]/G[spec]	NR
Ma et al[2] 2005a	1232	N[pat+m-teeth](%)/G[tooth-type]; N[m-teeth](%)[tooth-type]	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
Olze et al[14] 2005d	275	NR	NR	NR	ND	ND	ND	ND
Cabrera et al[4] 2005c	1417	N[pat](F)/G[m-teeth,spec]	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
Rosenquist et al[5] 2005b	452	N[pat](F)[G[m-teeth]/G[spec]	N[pat](F)[G[m-teeth]/G(spec)			ND	N[pat](F)[teeth]/G[spec]	N[pat](F)[grade]/G(spec)
Montebugnoli et al[44] 2004c	113	NR via pantomography index	ND	NR via Pantomography index	ND	ND	NR	NR
Abou-Raya et al[46] 2002a	50	N[pat+m-teeth](%)/G[spec]	ND	NR via Pantomography index	ND	ND	NR via pantomography index	NR via pantomography index
Enberg et al[21] 2001a	137?	N[r-teeth] (mean,SD)[pat]/G[gender,age,spec]	ND	N[teeth](mean,SD)[pat]/G[gender,age,spec]	ND	N[teeth](mean,SD)[pat]/G[gender,age,spec]	N[teeth](mean,SD)[pat]/G[gender,age,spec]	N[teeth](F,%)[pat]/G[gender,age-group,spec]
Närhi et al[6] 2000a	396	N[pat+r-teeth]; N[r-teeth] (mean,SD)[pat]/G[gender,jaw,spec]	ND	N[teeth]; N[teeth] (mean,SD)[pat]/G[gender,spec]	ND	absN[teeth], N[teeth](mean,SD)[pat]/G[gender,spec]	N[teeth], N[teeth](mean,SD)[pat]/G[gender,jaw,spec]	N[teeth](mean,SD)[pat,grade]/G[gender, spec]
Aartman et al[43] 1999a	211	N[r-teeth] (mean,SD)[pat]/ G[spec]	ND	N[teeth](mean,SD) [pat]/G[spec]	ND	N[teeth](mean,SD)[pat]/G[spec]	ND	ND
Taylor et al[38] 1998b	362	N[r-teeth?](median)/G[spec]	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	N[pat](F,%)[grades]/G[spec, age-group];
Grau et al[48] 1997c	126	NR via pantomography index	ND	NR via pantomography index	ND	NR via pantomography index	NR via pantomography index	NR via pantomography index
Peltola et al[19] 1993c	990?	N[pat](%)[DMFT = 0]	N[DMF](mean,SD)[pat]/G[age]	N[teeth](mean,SD,rg)[pat]	ND	N[pat](%)	N[pat](%)	N[pat+ND G[ABL]](F,%)
Hakeberg et al[33] 1993c	180	N[m-teeth] (mean,SD,rg)[pat]/G[spec,gender,age]	N[surfaces](mean,SD,rg)[pat]/G[spec, gender,age]	N[surfaces](mean,SD,rg) [pat]/G[spec,gender,age]	ND	N[m-teeth] (mean,SD,rg)[pat]/G[spec,gender,age]	N[lesions](mean,SD,rg)[pat]/G[spec,gender,age]	N[lesions](mean)[pat]/G[grade,spec]
Corbet et al[24] 1992b	165	N[m-teeth] (mean,SD)[pat]/G[age]; N[m-teeth](%)[FDI]	ND	ND	N[pontics,cantilever,crowns](%)[FDI]; N[FPD](%)[units]; N[units,retainers](mean,SD)[all FPD]	ND	ND	ND
Lindqvist et al[15] 1989d	50	N[r-teeth](mean,rg)[pat]	N[pat+”seriously decayed teeth”](F,%)			N[teeth,pat](F); N[“Inadequate” RCF](F,%)	N[pat](F)/G[lesions]	N[pat](F,%)/ G[“periodontits”]; N[pat?](F)[spec]
Stermer Beyer-Olsen et al[37] 1989c	141	ND	ND	ND	ND	N[teeth](F), N[pat](F,%)	N[teeth,RCF-teeth](F), N[pat](F,%)	N[pat](F,%)
Grover et al[7] 1982a	5000	N[pat](F,%)/G[m-teeth]	Combined for all carious as N[findings,pat](F,%)			ND	N[findings,pat](F,%)	N[pat+G[periodontits]](F,%)
Langland et al[16] 1980b	2921	ND	ND	N[pat+lesion?](F,%)	N[pat+FPD](F,%)	N[pat+tooth](F,%)	N[pat+lesion?](F,%)	N[pat+G[periodontits]](F,%)
Meister et al[25] 1977b	5783	ND	ND	ND	N[pat+FPD](F,%)	ND	N[findings](F,%)	N[pat+G[periodontits]](%)
Pelton et al[20] 1973d	200	ND	ND	N[findings](F)/G[jaw,spec]	ND	ND	ND	ND
Christen et al[27] 1967b	1338	ND	ND	ND	“Many ill fitting crowns”	ND	N[pat+tooth](F)	N[pat+”gross periodontits”](F,%)
Lilly et al[8] 1967d	1285	N[pat](F,%)/G[r-teeth]	ND	ND	ND	N[teeth](F)/G[tooth-type]; N[pat,canals](F)	N[teeth](F)G[spec]	ND

The date is followed by a discretionary index for the 5 year Impact Factor of the journal in 2010 (a < 1.5; b < 3; c > 3; d: None). Please see caption: Operationalization of findings in “Materials and Methods” section to decipher content in columns Ia-IV. Column IIb “Implants” is not shown for a comprehensive view and due to the lack of noteworthy reports. RCF: Root-canal-fillings; apF: Apical findings; ABL: Alveolar bone loss; ND: Not defined; NR: Not reported.