Preliminary evaluation of dual imaging plate intraoral radiography

Purpose: This study evaluated the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), spatial resolution, and subjective quality of dual imaging plates (DIP) intraoral radiography. Methods: The DIP and conventional single IP (CSIP) methods both used YCR DT-1 imaging plates (Yoshida Co.). The DIP, comprising a front IP (FIP) and back IP (BIP), was constructed. DIP images were synthesized from the FIP and BIP images. An aluminum step phantom was used to measure the CNR. A line pair gauge was used to measure the spatial imaging resolution. A phantom comprising a porcine mandible embedded in acrylic resin was used for subjective evaluation. Results: The CNR of the DIP image was 32% higher than that of the FIP image. The spatial resolution achieved using the FIP, DIP, and CSIP was highly comparable except above 4 line pairs/mm, where that of the CSIP was highest. In subjective evaluation, the noise in the DIP images was significantly lower than in those obtained using the FIP and CSIP. Conclusion: The CNR of the DIP was higher than that of the FIP. The decrease in spatial resolution of the DIP was limited. The subjective image quality of the DIP was higher than that of the FIP.