Conventional and predicted Perceptibility Curves for contrast-enhanced direct digital intraoral radiographs

Objectives: To construct Perceptibility Curves (PCs) for contrast-enhanced digital intraoral radiographs Methods: Radiographs of a test object having holes of increasing depths wer e exposed using three digital systems, the CDR (Schick Technologies, Long I sland, NY, USA), the Dixel (J Morita MFG, Kyoto, Japan) and the Sens-A-Ray (Regam Medical Systems, Sundsvall, Sweden). The radiographs were contrast-e nhanced and PCs constructed in the conventional way using 10 observers. Pre dicted PCs were calculated and compared with observer data. Results: The PCs showed that contrast enhancement is effective for the perc eption of small contrast details, especially in the low exposure range. Pre dicted PCs demonstrated excellent agreement with observer data. Conclusions: Contrast enhancement should be advantageous in digital radiogr aphy. The effects of contrast enhancement on PCs may be predicted without p revious knowledge of observer performance.