Abstract

Radiation due to x-ray exposure is a concern, and the development of the Dolphin™ DigiGraph represents an attempt to limit this exposure. The purpose of this paper was to compare measurements (using Ricketts analysis) obtained from conventional radiographic cephalometric tracings with those obtained by computerized digitizing with the DigiGraph. Forty-six patients from the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry graduate orthodontic clinic were digitized, and the results were compared to the x-ray tracings of these patients. The results showed that seven of the twenty-one variables examined exhibited a statistical similarity between the two methods (DigiGraph and x-ray tracing). An examination of the frequency report for these variables, however, revealed that the data was evenly distributed thus indicating that these variables did not exhibit the similarity suggested by the statistical comparison. The conclusion of this study was that the DigiGraph did not provide a reasonable alternative for the diagnosis of an orthodontic case. The apparent inaccuracies of the DigiGraph included patient movement, inability to positively identify skeletal landmarks by palpation, the questionable ability of the DigiGraph to extrapolate deep skeletal structures, the difficulty in digitizing crowded incisors, and the difference between anatomic porion and the adjusted machine porion used by the DigiGraph.

LLU Discipline

Orthodontics

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

Joseph M. Caruso

Second Advisor

Norman S. Carter

Third Advisor

M. Toufic Jeiroudi

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Level

M.S.

Year Degree Awarded

1991

Date (Title Page)

6-1991

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Radiography; Dental Diagnosis; Computer-Assisted; Diagnostic Imaging

Type

Thesis

Page Count

2 iii; 30

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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