What is the Diagnodent?

The Diagnodent is a light emitting device that when shined on teeth gives a digital readout that the manufacturer claims will help a dentist detect decay below the surface of enamel. According to Kavo, this device is about 90% accurate. It works by shining a certain wavelength light on the tooth that causes decayed matter to exhibit fluorescence.

The Diagnodent website states that "The DIAGNOdent operates at a wavelength of 655 nm. At this specific wavelength, clean healthy tooth structure exhibits little or no fluorescence, resulting in very low scale readings on the display. However, carious tooth structure will exhibit fluorescence, proportionate to the degree of caries, resulting in elevated scale readings on the display of the DIAGNOdent. "

I should add that I bought this system about 10 years ag, when it firs,t came out, and while patients liked it, I didn't find it more accurate than my own judgements made after I used a bonding light to transilluminate the tooth surface. Many dentists love this device, but I rarely use it anymore.