The Canary system by Quantum Dental Technologies (QDT) can accurately detect caries beneath opaque dental sealants, according to a study being presented this week at the International Association of Dental Research (IADR) meeting in Seattle.
The Canary system enabled investigators from QDT, the University of Toronto, and the University of Texas San Antonio Health Science Center to detect caries beneath 2 mm of Delton, Embrace WetBond, Helioseal F, and UltraSeal XT Plus sealants on 124 potential sound and carious pit-and-fissure sites on occlusal surfaces of 60 extracted human molars and premolars.
Marked pit-and-fissure sites were scanned with the Canary system and Diagnodent before and after sealant placement. Using polarized light microscopy as the validation tool, the status (carious/noncarious) of each examined pit-and-fissure sites was confirmed. The caries detection ability of the Canary system was not affected by any sealant, while the Diagnodent produced a high number of false-positive readings, according to QDT.
The data presented at IADR builds upon the findings QDT announced at the IADR meeting in June 2012, evidencing the role the Canary system can play in effectively detecting caries beneath 3M ESPE Clinpro sealant.