Intraoral infrared color photography of radiotherapy patients

A clinical screening study was performed in which head-and-neck radiotherapy patients were photographed intraorally using infrared "false color" film and Ektachrome color film. These photographs were compared to determine if differences existed in appearance between the intraoral tissues within the field of radiation and those intraoral tissues not in the field of radiation. No differences could be detected with either the "false color" film or with Ektachrome color film. Further investigations in the use of infrared color photography as applied to the radiotherapy patient could be undertaken by using a light source that transmits infrared rays only and a lens filter that passes only infrared rays. This method would produce a film that shows only the reflected infrared rays. Both color and black-and-white film should be used in this study.