Radiopacity of endodontic materials on film and a digital sensor

Area of Science:

• Dental materials science
• Radiology
• Endodontics

Background:

• Radiopacity is a critical property for endodontic materials, influencing their visibility on radiographs.
• Accurate assessment of radiopacity is essential for clinical evaluation and material selection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the radiographic appearance and radiopacity of 12 endodontic materials using dental film and a digital sensor.
• To quantify differences in radiopacity measurements between the two imaging systems.

Main Methods:

• Radiographic comparison of 12 endodontic materials using Kodak Ultra-speed D film and a Gendex eHD digital sensor.
• Materials were radiographed with an aluminum alloy 1100 stepwedge for reference.
• Radiopacity was determined by converting grayscale values to absorbance and comparing with the stepwedge to find equivalent millimeters of Al 1100.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in radiopacity were found based on imaging system, material, and their interaction (p < 0.001).
• Four of the 12 materials exhibited over a 10% difference in radiopacity between film and digital sensor.
• InnoEndo showed a radiopacity difference exceeding 40% when measured on the digital sensor compared to film.

Conclusions:

• The choice of imaging system (dental film vs. digital sensor) significantly impacts the measured radiopacity of endodontic materials.
• Barium fillers in materials like InnoEndo may contribute to the observed discrepancies in radiopacity measurements.
• Clinicians should be aware of potential variations in radiopacity assessment depending on the radiographic technique used.