Digital imaging in periodontal radiography. A review

The development and the potential impact of digital imaging techniques for the analysis of dental radiographs are reviewed with emphasis on periodontal diagnosis. The introduction of video-based computer-assisted image analysis systems for the evaluation of standardized dental radiographs offered increased diagnostic accuracy in the detection of subtle density changes over interpretation of conventional radiographs. Digital subtraction images were interpreted qualitatively on a video monitor or quantitatively by applying programs which measure the density differences stored in digital format. Recently, these methods, which have been extensively tested in vitro, were applied to clinical trials for the assessment of alveolar bone density changes due to progression of disease or healing following therapy. The application of digital image analysis methods offers objective, quantitative and non-invasive ways to obtain additional diagnostic information from standardized radiographs in clinical trials.