Effect of Using Image Standardization Device for Dental Photography Standerdizatuon in Comparison to Individualized Photography In Vivo Study

This randomized clinical trial aimed to evaluate the effect of Image Standardization Device (ISD) on standardization of clinical images from the same entry point (patient right 45o).

Digital photography is highly important on multiple levels and has become associated with modern dentistry. Its application in dental practice is simple, quick, and extremely useful for procedures documentation, patient education, and conducting clinical research, resulting in several benefits for dentists in the terms of examination, diagnosis, treatment planning, progress and monitoring treatment outcomes. On the other hand, digital photography becomes significant tool for patient reassurance as showing before and after photos of several procedures helps in patient relaxation and understanding from the start, as well as improves the patient-dentist trust.

In the terms of producing decent digital dental photographs, standardization in several aspects of the photographic equipment, environment, and patient position become a critical issue for successful reproducible photographs.

Different standardization methods have been mentioned in the literature, some of them discussed the standardization characteristics in the terms of camera settings and adjustment using tripod only with standardized camera/patient distance, lighting, and background color. Other studies discussed standardization from a different point of view regarding the standardized patient head position and fixed camera/ patient distance using various devices slightly resembles the ISD used in this study.

The methodology of the current study included a total of twenty patients, photographed with ISD taking duplicate photographs and using individualized photography as a control group via conventional Tripod from the same photography point at 45º from the patient's right side to study the effect of the image standardization device in photograph standardization over conventional imaging methods. The Intervention used in this study was bleaching that was done before taking the same photographs once again from the same projections to reproduce the same images using both methods.

The assessment was done by measuring in millimeters the horizontal and vertical measurements of the canine in each patient by using a ruler tool on digital software and comparing them with the reference standard which was the canine's real measurements.