DOI: 10.33808/clinexphealthsci.1964646 ISSN: 2459-1459

Diagnostic accuracy of short-wave infrared imaging (>1000 nm) for proximal coronal caries detection in human teeth: a systematic review

Ahmad Bittar, Seda Selvi, Elif Alkan, Dilek Tağtekin
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Objective: To synthesise diagnostic-accuracy evidence for short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging at wavelengths >1000 nm in primary proximal coronal caries detection in human teeth.Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus were exported on 9 April 2026, Web of Science Core Collection on 10 April 2026, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) was checked on 10 April 2026. Citation chasing supplemented database searching. Both in vivo and in vitro studies were eligible. Eligible studies evaluated SWIR transillumination, reflectance, or combined approaches. Classical diagnostic-accuracy studies formed the core synthesis; lesion-depth, wavelength-optimisation, and lesion-positive clinical studies were retained narratively. Risk of bias was appraised with an adapted Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 (QUADAS-2) framework.Results: Searches yielded 171 records. After duplicate removal from the exported set, 68 unique records were screened, 23 reports were assessed, 13 were excluded, and 10 studies met broader SWIR eligibility. Six studies contributed core diagnostic-accuracy evidence. SWIR methods were generally more sensitive than bitewing radiography, but specificity varied by wavelength and imaging geometry. No study was low risk of bias overall, and probable study-family overlap prevented meta-analysis.Conclusion: SWIR imaging is promising, but it is not a single homogeneous test. Current evidence supports separate interpretation of transillumination and reflectance, cautious clinical translation, and larger independent human validation studies.

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