Dental Sensor Comparison

The data for this page will continually be updated.

Background

XDR e2v Dental Intraoral Sensor

This study is being conducted by Dr. David Crane, a general dentist in Chippewa Falls, WI since 1967. His office is mostly digital including patient records, intraoral sensors, digital panoramic x-ray, and bar-coded supply management. Dr. Crane is a former partner in a business that sold hardware and software to medical and dental offices.

Making the choice of hardware is probably the most difficult decision when converting to digital x-rays. The selection of a digital pan is easier than the selection of intraoral sensors because digital pans are grouped more by cost, quality of images, and expandability. On the other hand there are many different intraoral sensors with many options, different imaging software, choices of integration into your practice management software, initial and ongoing costs, and choice of vendors. Dentists are so overwhelmed with all these details that they put off the purchase, do not do the proper research, or often pay too much.

Unbiased results will be presented on an ongoing basis as different sensors are tested. Comments or suggestions are welcome from dentists or manufactures. You may also call us at 715-723-1662.

Method

A small program, called an extension, was downloaded from the Apteryx web site for each make of sensor. (See their web site for all the different sensors that work with their software). This, along with the drivers for each sensor, allowed us to use all of the sensors with our CliniView (Apteryx) imaging software. (See all the imaging software made by Apteryx). The sensors were used for all patients by all staff members in three treatment rooms for at least two weeks. Four staff members were the subjects for the images shown in the chart. All images are untouched and only converted to JPG format from the CliniView raw format. Rinn sensor holders were used and the aiming ring always touched the patients face. Exposure ranges for all sensors were between .060 to .200 seconds.

Controls

  • Proper exposure for each patient which may vary with each sensor (as dark as possible without burning out the CEJ area)
  • Consistent radiation from x-ray machine (we used new Progeny Preva DC wall mount units). Common settings are 65kV, 6 mA, .200 sec
  • USB cables under 15 feet to eliminate poor signals
  • Windows XP Pro, Dual Core processors, 2MG memory, networked computers
  • CliniView imaging software made by Apteryx
  • Name Grabber software to integrate with Dentrix
  • High resolution Samsung monitors with at least 1000:1 contrast ratios
  • Proper sizing of images on monitor for best viewing
  • Images saved as high resolution JPG files for web site and email

Variables

  • Independent: Sensors listed below
  • Dependent: Consistent quality and clarity of resulting images