Sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical indicators for added value of radiography in caries diagnosis in adolescents: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: The aim was to assess the value of sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics in identifying adolescents who would benefit from radiographs for dental caries detection in a high-caries experience population.

Study Design: In total, 356 adolescents answered a validated questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics and oral health behavior and were clinically and radiographically examined for caries. The outcome was the benefit arising from radiographs for caries detection at the patient level, defined as the number of surfaces clinically classified as sound but presenting radiolucency.