EFFECTS OF FILTRATION, COLLIMATION, AND TARGET-RECEPTOR DISTANCE ON ARTIFICIAL APPROXIMAL ENAMEL LESION DETECTION WITH THE USE OF RADIOVISIOGRAPHY

RadioVisioGraphy is an imaging modality that uses a charge-coupled device electronic sensor. Dental charge-coupled device imaging can be used to detect dental caries; however, it was not known what effect beam collimation, added filtration, or variable target-receptor distance has on this task. The purpose of this investigation was to study these effects and to compare RadioVisioGraphy images with E-speed radiographs. Human teeth with mechanically created proximal defects were imaged by conventional radiography and RadioVisioGraphy varying exposure time, target-receptor distance, collimation, and filtration. Printed RadioVisioGraphy images without enhancement and E-speed radiographs were evaluated by five viewers. The number of true-positives and false-positives were compared as were sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, accuracy, and entrance level radiation exposure. Added filtration reduced the false-positives regardless of collimation or target-receptor distance. True-positives and false-positives were greater at a target-receptor distance of 8 inch at exposures < 0.10 seconds (F < 0.0151). E-speed radiographs had a greater specificity and positive predictive value than RadioVisioGraphy images without image enhancement; however, no significant differences were found between RadioVisioGraphy images and E-speed radiographs in true-positive or false-positive identifications without image enhancement.