Signal-to-noise ratios of 6 intraoral digital sensors

• Published in: Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology and endodontics oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology and endodontics, 2001-05, Vol.91 (5), p.611-615
• Main Authors: Attaelmanan, Atta G., Borg, Eva, Gröndahl, Hans-Göran
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algorithms; Aluminum; Biological and medical sciences; Equipment Design; Facial bones, jaws, teeth, parodontium: diseases, semeiology; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Medical sciences; Microcomputers; Miscellaneous. Technology; Non tumoral diseases; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Phantoms, Imaging; Radiation Dosage; Radiodiagnosis. Nmr imagery. Nmr spectrometry; Radiographic Image Enhancement; Radiography, Dental, Digital - instrumentation; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
• ISSN: 1079-2104; 1528-395X
• DOI: 10.1067/moe.2001.113590

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of 6 intraoral direct digital sensors. The sensors were Visualix 1, Visualix 2, DenOptix, Computed Dental Radiography (CDR), CDR APS, and Digora. Study Design: The sensors were exposed by using a dental x-ray machine operating at 50 kV, 8 mA and various exposure times. The phantom used was a hole measuring 1 mm in diameter and 1.25 mm in depth, drilled in a 10-mm–thick aluminum block. Digital images were transferred as 8-bit tagged image file format files and analyzed by using a personal computer. Results And Conclusions: SNR values increased up to a maximum value at a certain exposure level and then, depending on the system, either decreased or maintained a high level with increased exposure. The Digora system produced the highest SNR values over a large exposure range, whereas the Visualix 2 and DenOptix systems produced the lowest SNR values. The 2 CDR sensors produced rather high SNRs but over a very small exposure range.(Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2001;91:611-5)