Image quality of two solid-state and three photostimulable phosphor plate digital panoramic systems, and treatment planning of mandibular third molar removal.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose was to evaluate image quality of two solid-state (charge-coupled device (CCD)) and three photostimulable phosphor (PSP) plate digital panoramic systems, and to assess their utility for treatment planning before mandibular third molar removal.


METHODS
433 patients were randomly allocated to five digital systems: Dimax2 and Orthophos Plus (both CCD systems) and DenOptix, DigiDent and Digora (all PSP systems). Image quality was evaluated in six regions on a 4-point scale by three independent observers. In addition, an oral surgeon evaluated image quality in the mandibular third molar region only as well as the utility of the image for treatment planning before removal of that molar.


RESULTS
Images from the DenOptix and DigiDent systems had a significantly lower overall quality than images from the Digora, Dimax2 and Orthophos Plus systems (P < 0.005). The oral surgeon's assessment of image utility resulted in rejection rates of 0% for Orthophos Plus, 2% for Digora, 8% for Dimax2, 12% for DigiDent and 14% for DenOptix images. The rates for the DigiDent and DenOptix images were significantly higher than those for the other systems (P < 0.001), and the rate for Dimax2 was significantly higher than that for Orthophos Plus (P = 0.002).


CONCLUSIONS
The quality of DenOptix and DigiDent digital panoramic images was found to be inferior to the quality found in images obtained with the Digora, Dimax2 and Orthophos Plus systems. Images from the Digora and Orthophos Plus systems were regarded to be the most useful for treatment planning before mandibular third molar removal.
Benediktsdottir
I S
IS
Department of Oral Radiology, Royal Dental College, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Aarhus, Denmark. isb@odont.au.dk
Hintze
H
H
Petersen
J K
JK
Wenzel
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008964:Molar, Third / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D019252:Radiography, Dental, Digital / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014081:Tooth Extraction; D014095:Tooth, Impacted / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging