The quality of panoramic radiographs in a sample of general dental practices

Objective To assess the quality of panoramic radiographs in a sample of gen eral dental practices, to determine the relative frequency of errors and to identify those errors directly responsible for diagnostically inadequate i mages. Materials and methods Examination of 1,813 panoramic radiographs obtained f rom 41 general dental practitioners and recording of faults. The study was carried out in 1998. Radiographs were judged as being 'excellent' 'diagnost ically acceptable' or 'unacceptable'. Results Only 0.8% of films were 'excellent', 66.2% were 'diagnostically acc eptable' and 33% were 'unacceptable: The most common faults which directly contributed to failure of the radiographs were antero-posterior positioning errors, low density and low contrast. Conclusions The quality of panoramic radiographs was considerably lower tha n standards recently set for primary dental care. The quality of panoramic radiography could be improved by careful attention to radiographic techniqu e and processing.