A COMPARISON BETWEEN RADIOGRAPHIC AND SONICALLY PRODUCED CEPHALOMETRIC VALUES

Cephalometric radiography has become a standard and invaluable means o f obtaining diagnostic information for the management of malocclusion and skeletal disharmony. However, concerns over radiographic exposure, particularly in growing individuals, may limit its use, especially in longitudinal analyses. Less invasive means of obtaining vital informa tion would be desirable. A recently introduced system (Digigraph(TM), Dolphin Imaging Systems; Valencia, Calif) provides sonically produced representations of cranial landmarks and has been introduced by its ma nufacturer as an alternative to standard cephalometric radiography. Th e purpose of the study was to compare the validity and reproducibility of cephalometric values generated sonically on a digital image analyz er (Digigraph(TM)) with those obtained from standard cephalometric rad iographs for 43 different measurements. Although 58.1% of the sonicall y produced measurements showed significant correlation with radiograph ically produced measurements, there were no trends observed for correl ation, either in dental or skeletal structure classifications. Additio nally, this study found the data generated from the digital image anal yzer to be markedly variable, while the radiographically obtained data were reproducible.