Proof-of-Concept Study on an Automatic Computational System in Detecting and Classifying Occlusal Caries Lesions from Smartphone Color Images of Unrestored Extracted Teeth.

Dental caries has been considered the heaviest worldwide oral health burden affecting a significant proportion of the population. To prevent dental caries, an appropriate and accurate early detection method is demanded. This proof-of-concept study aims to develop a two-stage computational system that can detect early occlusal caries from smartphone color images of unrestored extracted teeth according to modified International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) criteria (3 classes: Code 0; Code 1-2; Code 3-6): in the first stage, carious lesion areas were identified and extracted from sound tooth regions.