Standardization in dental photography

The main purpose of dental photography is documentation. This means that a maximum of information has to be recorded by photographic means under reproducible conditions. Only if the conditions are reproducible can photographs be regarded as really adequate recording tools. There must be standardization of the clinical camera and associated equipment, and the formating and lighting of those intra- and extra-oral views which are often used in dental photography. The most versatile camera body for dental photography is the 35 mm single-lens-reflex-camera. The proper lens is a 100 up to 135 mm-macrolens, which allows a magnification of 1:1 or better. The proper light source is a rotating side mounted flash unit or better, a twin flash with reflectors, each of them mounted at one side of the lens. Ring flash can be used in intra-oral photography. Five important views are described which portray the intra-oral status: a frontal view, two lateral views and occlusal views of the two arches. In addition to these views there are six facial views which are often used in dental practice: two lateral views; a frontal view; a frontal view with the head tilted back; and two fronto-lateral views at angles of 45 degrees to the sagittal plane. By standardizing the photographic conditions the photographs produced will be comparable to each other, even if successive photographs are taken at long time intervals and by different photographers. Only in this way can dental photography be used as a valuable aid to documentation.