A Comparison of Radiographic Film Densitometry Using a New Computerized Tool with a Digital Densitometer

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to develop and test a new tool for radiographic densitometry by combining periapical films and aluminum step wedge. MATERIALS AND METHODS We reviewed 50 Kodak E-speed intraoral films. An aluminum step wedge consisting of 16 steps was constructed. Each step was 1mm×3m×10mm. The step wedge was exposed to varying exposure times, ranging from 0.05 second to 0.5 second, increasing in 0.05 second increments. Films were digitalized after processing and the MATLAB software algorithm was ran subsequently. Density of the films was measured again using a digital densitometer. In order to compare the two imaging techniques, three steps were selected. Output data from the MATLAB algorithm were compared with data obtained from the digital densitometer. RESULTS The new method could detect significant differences between subsequent exposure times in step 7, while the densitometer did that in steps 7 and 12. The new method's sensitivity in determining density changes was 5.26%, 84.1% and 93.02% in steps 2, 7, and 12 respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our new method has an acceptable sensitivity for determining density changes of at least 7 mmEq/Al.