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Impact of ambient lighting intensity and duration on the signal-to-noise ratio of images from photostimulable phosphor plates processed using DenOptix^® and ScanX^® systems

¹ School of Dentistry, The University of Louisville, Kentucky, USA; ² School of Dentistry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

*Correspondence to: Dr Ramya Ramamurthy, Radiology and Imaging Science, Department Surgical and Hospital Dentistry, The University of Louisville School of Dentistry, 501 South Preston Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40292, USA; Email: r0rama06{at}gwise.louisville.edu

Received 10 June 2004; accepted 9 August 2004

Objectives: To evaluate the impact on photostimulable phosphor (PSP) image signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of pre-scanning ambient lighting exposures.

Method: PSP imaging plates (IPs) were exposed to different radiation exposures to achieve flat field images. The exposed IPs were subjected variously to visible light of different intensities (300, 150 or 20 lux) for durations ranging from <10 s to 120 s. They were processed using laser scanners from two systems for further comparison (DenOptix^® versus ScanX^®). Histogram analysis was performed in each case and mean pixel value and its standard deviation were used as surrogates to assess SNR. Statistical methods applied included analysis of variance with Tukey honestly significant difference test for pair wise comparisons. The à priori was set at P0.05.

Results: SNR decreased with increased duration and intensity of pre-scanning light exposure. Lower X-ray exposures resulted in decreased signal resulting in reduced SNR, and increased the need to reduce ambient lighting. No statistically significant differences were found comparing ScanX^® and DenOptix^® digital imaging systems in terms of SNR.

Conclusion: Reduced ambient lighting is preferred for handling IPs prior to processing in the laser scanner.

Keywords: radiography, dental, digital; lighting; image processing, computer assisted

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