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The missing link in image quality assessment in digital dental radiography

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Abstract

Digital radiography is gaining popularity among general dental practitioners. It includes digital intraoral radiography, digital panoramic radiography, digital cephalography, and cone-beam computed tomography. In this study, we focused on the methods to assess image quality of these techniques, except for digital cephalography, in the light of historical issues. We stressed on the importance of the development of a standardized phantom and quantitative analysis of diagnostic image quality using it, especially in the aspect of psychophysical properties of these digital systems. There is no missing link in the image quality assessment in digital intraoral radiography and cone-beam computed tomography in dental use. However, there are missing links between physical and diagnostic image qualities in panoramic radiography. The development of a semi-standardized phantom and the corresponding quantitative analysis method for image quality may be required in digital panoramic radiography. Quantitative image quality assessment using a standardized phantom will also be promising in the future artificial intelligence era.

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Fig. 1
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Modified from “Assessment of image quality in dental radiography, part 2” [25]

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Modified from “Theoretical consideration of radiological caries diagnosis: correlation between physical properties and diagnostic accuracy” [9]

Fig. 4

Modified from “Clinical evaluation of "Veraviewepocs" digital panoramic X-ray system” [32]

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  1. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Dental Science, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan

    Kazutoshi Okamura & Kazunori Yoshiura

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  1. Kazutoshi Okamura
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Correspondence to Kazutoshi Okamura.

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Kazutoshi Okamura and Kazunori Yoshiura declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Okamura, K., Yoshiura, K. The missing link in image quality assessment in digital dental radiography. Oral Radiol 36, 313–319 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11282-019-00396-z

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