Abstract
Panoramic radiography is the most commonly used equipment in the dental field, but there is no comprehensive standard about how to evaluate the spatial resolution of panoramic radiography. In this study, panorama resolution phantoms were developed for evaluation of horizontal and vertical resolution reflecting unique characteristics of panoramic radiography. Four horizontal resolution phantoms of staircase shape were designed to obtain images of horizontal lead line pairs in a 52 mm width. Four vertical resolution phantoms with vertical lead line pairs placed at an oblique angle were also designed. A phantom stand was made. Three machines were evaluated twice by two oromaxillofacial radiologists. The horizontal lead line pairs were readable over the entire measured area at the values of 1.88, 2.32, and 2.58 lp/mm for all machines. A readable area of horizontal 3.19 lp/mm was observed in the lingual side. In the vertical resolution phantoms, it was possible to read a narrower range. By using the panorama resolution phantoms and phantom stand, it was possible to evaluate the resolution of a wide buccolingual width in four significant areas. By evaluating the resolution of the vertical and horizontal compartments separately, it was possible to gain a better understanding of the obtained images.
Highlights
Panoramic radiography is the most commonly used equipment in the dental field, but there is no comprehensive standard about how to evaluate the spatial resolution of panoramic radiography
The intra-observer analysis showed an excellent agreement between the two evaluation with a 2‐week interval. (ICC ≥ 0.90, p < 0.001) The horizontal resolution phantoms were readable at 52 mm, which is the entire evaluated area, at the values of 1.88, 2.32, and 2.58 lp/mm for all the three equipment
In the case of the vertical resolution phantoms, they were readable in a narrower range than the horizontal resolution phantoms, and the resulting area was observed along the center of the arch-shaped phantom stand
Summary
Panoramic radiography is the most commonly used equipment in the dental field, but there is no comprehensive standard about how to evaluate the spatial resolution of panoramic radiography. Panorama resolution phantoms were developed for evaluation of horizontal and vertical resolution reflecting unique characteristics of panoramic radiography. Four horizontal resolution phantoms of staircase shape were designed to obtain images of horizontal lead line pairs in a 52 mm width. Image sharpness gradually decreases as the objects deviate from the center of the focal trough, and images are no longer identifiable on the r adiograph[2,3] This unique characteristic is of clinical importance as the radiologists can acquire only the images required for diagnosing the oral and maxillofacial region without overlapping s tructures[2]; the complexity of the process of image acquisition makes it difficult to evaluate the quality of panoramic radiography images using prevalent image quality evaluation methods. Characteristic in the process of obtaining images, various resolution values can be recorded according to the position of the resolution phantom even when using the same piece of panoramic radiography[1,2]
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