Which description best differentiates root caries from cervical burnout?

• A. Cervical burnout shows a radiolucent zone with ill-defined margins in the cervical area; root caries shows a definite saucer-shaped radiolucency on exposed root surfaces.
• B. Cervical burnout shows a definite saucer-shaped radiolucency on root surfaces; root caries shows a radiolucent zone with ill-defined margins.
• C. Root caries is radiopaque.
• D. Cervical burnout occurs only in older adults.

Answer: (A)

Radiographic differentiation hinges on pattern and margins. Cervical burnout appears as a radiolucent area at the cementoenamel junction with ill-defined, fuzzy margins—that’s an artifact of tooth structure and imaging, not a true decay. Root caries, on the other hand, is a real lesion on exposed root surfaces and shows a definite saucer-shaped radiolucency with clearer borders as dentin demineralizes. The idea that root caries is radiopaque conflicts with how caries present radiographically, and cervical burnout isn’t limited to older adults. So the described distinction in this statement best matches how these two conditions actually appear on radiographs.