A comparative study of image quality and radiation exposure for dental radiographs produced using a charge-coupled device and a phosphor plate system.

AIM To investigate the quality of periapical radiographic images produced by two digital dental radiography systems, a charge-coupled device (CCD) and a photostimulable phosphor (PSP) image plate system, and to examine the overall radiation exposure when using these systems in a clinical setting. METHODOLOGY Patients were randomly allocated to both systems and the resultant radiographs rated for quality. The expected radiation exposure for an investigation was calculated. RESULTS Overall, 98 images were acquired using the CCD system and 108 with the PSP system. The PSP system produced significantly higher quality (P < 0.001) periapical images compared with the CCD system. The CCD system required significantly more (P < 0.001) repeat exposures to obtain a diagnostic image than the PSP system but at a lower expected radiation exposure. CONCLUSIONS The image quality was superior using the phosphor plate system. Although more repeat radiographs were required using the CCD system, the images were produced with a lower expected radiation exposure.