Measurement of white lesions surrounding orthodontic brackets: captured slides vs digital camera images

Digital images provide an efficient means of processing and storing clinical images and are increasingly being used in orthodontic practice. However, for research purposes it must be shown that measurements from digital images are as reliable as those from captured slides, particularly in the area of postorthodontic demineralization. The aim of this in vitro study was to compare the assessment of demineralized white lesions surrounding orthodontic brackets using images produced from captured slides with those from a digital camera. Thirty teeth with orthodontic brackets and a systematic arrangement of artificially induced demineralization were used. Standardized images of the teeth were taken in 35-mm slide format and using a digital camera. The slides were scanned and saved as digital images. All the images were numbered, recoded in a random order, and assessed by a second investigator. The image was examined for the presence or absence of demineralization. This was compared with the actual demineralization pattern, and the positive and negative predictive values were calculated. Twenty images from each group were randomly chosen and duplicated for an assessment of measurement error. The positive and negative predictive values were better from the digital images (0.92 and 0.81) than from the captured slides (0.88 and 0.74). The percentage agreements for the repeat assessments of the same slide were similar (96% for the captured slides and 93% for the digital images). Measurements of enamel demineralization using images from a digital camera are as accurate and reproducible as images captured from a photographic slide.