title: A comparison of manual and automatic processing in general dental practice.
abstract: Although automatic processing is becoming more widely available in general dental practice, there is little objective information regarding the quality of this type of processing. Thus a postal study was undertaken to compare manual and automatic processing using a questionnaire together with a standardised, pre-exposed test radiograph for routine processing. Analysis of variance showed significant differences between the manually processed, automatically processed and control test films, in respect of D Min (P < 0.001), test strip (P < 0.001), and step density values (P < 0.01) but not for D Max (P > 0.1). The manually processed test films generally had significantly less density than the automatically processed test films or control test films.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Radiology, Birmingham Dental School and Hospital.
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Rout
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Rippin
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001331:Automation; D005792:General Practice, Dental; D006801:Humans; D011861:Radiography, Dental / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D012494:Sampling Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013679:Technology, Radiologic / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D014962:X-Ray Film