Impact of an intraoral X-ray cone with positioning laser lights on reducing radiographic errors with the bisecting angle technique: A technical report

Abstract

Purpose: The bisecting angle technique (BAT) encounters difficulties in positioning the X-ray cone and aligning the central beam with the tooth. To address this, a rectangular laser featuring a pointed light was integrated into the intraoral X-ray cone. This study evaluated its effectiveness in improving radiograph quality and minimizing errors.

Materials and methods: Fifty fifth-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery students were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 (n=16) used the paralleling technique, group 2 (n=17) employed the conventional BAT, and group 3 (n=17) utilized the laser-assisted BAT on mannequins. Two independent oral radiologists assessed the quality of the radiographs, categorizing the images as either diagnostically acceptable or not acceptable. Inter-group comparisons of quality and error rates were conducted using the chi-square test (significance level: P<0.05).

Results: The paralleling technique group produced 77.5% diagnostically acceptable radiographs and 22.5% that were not diagnostically acceptable. These percentages were 65.3% and 34.7%, respectively, in the conventional BAT group and 75.3% and 24.7%, respectively, in the laser-assisted BAT group, showing results similar to the paralleling technique group. The quality of radiographs differed significantly among the groups (P<0.05). The percentage of error-free radiographs was 38.1% in the paralleling technique group, 20.6% in the conventional BAT group, and 40.0% in the laser-assisted BAT group, with these differences being statistically significant (P<0.05).

Conclusion: The device produced higher acceptability and fewer radiographic errors than the conventional BAT technique, suggesting accurate adjustment of the X-ray cone and central beam to the desired teeth.

Keywords: Dental Radiography; Lasers; Technique, X-rays.

Fig. 1. The X-ray cone is fitted with positioning laser lights. A. The blue arrow highlights the green rectangular laser beams, which align with the dimensions of an intraoral film. B. The black arrow indicates the central red laser light positioned at the center of the X-ray cone, marking the entry point of the central X-ray beam.