Objective To explore the clinical value of digital dental radiography in the diagnosis of occult carious lesions. Methods A total of 300 patients with occult carious lesions admitted to Nanchong Central Hospital from May 2024 to May 2025 were selected as the research subjects. According to the random number table method, they were divided into the control group and the observation group, with 150 patients in each group. The control group was examined with traditional dental radiography, and the observation group was examined with digital dental radiography. The radiograph quality, dental radiation exposure time and diagnostic consistency grading were compared between the two groups. Results The proportion of grade A radiographs in the observation group was higher than that in the control group, while the proportion of grade B and grade C radiographs was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). The dental radiation exposure time of the observation group was (0.09±0.01)s, which was shorter than (0.81±0.03)s of the control group (P<0.05). The proportion of grade Ⅰ in the observation group was higher than that in the control group, and the proportion of grade Ⅲ was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). The proportion of grade Ⅱ in the observation group was lower than that in the control group, but the difference was not statistically signiffcant (P>0.05). Conclusion Digital dental radiography has deffnite clinical diagnostic value in the diagnosis of occult carious lesions. It can improve radiograph quality, shorten dental radiation exposure time and enhance diagnostic consistency.