The Influence of Experience and Training in the Examination Pattern of Panoramic Radiographs: Results of an Eye Tracking Study

Physician training has greatly benefitted from insights gained in understanding the manner in which experienced practitioners search medical images for abnormalities. The objective of this study is to compare the search patterns of dental students and certified oral and maxillofacial radiologists (OMRs) over panoramic images. An eye tracking system was used to accrue multiple parameters for both groups searching for abnormalities on 20 panoramic radiographs. Compared with students, OMRs displayed more consistent search patterns, and spent overall less time with fewer blinks, saccades and eye fixations. As students frequently changed their search patterns between different images, undergraduate dental education programs should emphasize the need for developing systematic search strategies. Moreover, as student were often distracted by image artifacts, greater emphasis should be placed on an understanding of panoramic image artifact generation so that they are less distracted by such areas, and develop greater focus on