COMPARISON OF LINEAR MEASUREMENTS MADE FROM STORAGE PHOSPHOR AND DENTAL RADIOGRAPHS

Objectives. To compare linear measurements made from storage phosphor and dental radiographs. Methods. Five dry hemimandibles were imaged wi th an 8 x 10-inch (20.3/25.4 cm) high-resolution storage phosphor plat e and Ektaspeed Plus occlusal-size dental film. Optimal exposure was e mpirically determined for the dental films. Reductions in exposure of 50 and 75% were used for the storage phosphor. Three observers made li near measurements between end-points of lines and center-points of fid ucials on clinical specimens, dental radiographs, digitized dental rad iographs and storage phosphor images. Data were analysed with repeated -measures and nested analysis of variance. Results. Measurements obtai ned from optimally exposed dental films and reduced-exposure storage p hosphor images were equivalent to clinical measurements recorded from dry hemimandibles. Less than 2% of variation among measurements was at tributable to the five modalities. Conclusion. No substantive differen ce was detected between linear measurements obtained from the storage phosphor or dental radiographs. Because storage phosphor images requir e no chemical processing, can be used at reduced exposure and are inhe rently digital, they are a viable alternative to dental film for makin g linear measurements. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd for IAD MFR.