Correlation of Intraoral Photography with Clinical Observations in the Diagnosis of Non-metric Characteristics of Teeth in Morphological Research

One of the most important goals of a morphological study is to determine the characteristics of non-metric dental traits, and different techniques are used to better achieve this goal. Since morphological diagnoses have been based on visual clinical findings to date, this study aimed to investigate the correlation of intraoral photography with clinical observations in the diagnosis of non-metric dental traits.

In this descriptive study, 80 students who were referred to the Morphology Department, Tehran Azad University Dental School, were evaluated. The students took part in the study voluntarily after the aims of the study were explained to them. Clinical examinations were carried out to evaluate Carabelli cusps, thick marginal ridges, and gingivopalatal fissures. A Canon EOS camera was used to take intraoral photos. The presence or absence of each trait in the two techniques was determined by Spearman’s correlation coefficient and their consistency (R2) was determined and evaluated statistically. The data were analyzed with SPSS 22 at a significance level of p value ≤ 0.05.

The correlation between the intraoral photography and clinical observations was calculated at 77% through Spearman’s correlation coefficient, which was acceptable; the consistency rate was calculated at 69%. The kappa coefficient between the two methods was estimated at 75.78%, which is considered excellent.

Since intraoral photography exhibited favorable correlation and consistency with clinical observations, it can provide valuable information on the diagnosis of nonmetric morphological traits.