Comparison Of The Reliability Of Computerized And Manual Cephalometric Measurements Of Soft Tissue

Tamar Kublashvili, Katerin Kula, Alan Glaros, 
Zurab Vadachkoria

UMKC School of Dentistry Department of Orthodontics, USA;
Department of Pediatric and Prevention of Dental Diseases, Tbilisi State Medical University, Georgia

The purpose of this study was to compare the reliability of eleven linear and four angular cephalometric measurements of soft tissue among two software programs (Dolphin 7.0 [D] and Vistadent 8.0 [V]) using both digitized (scanned) conventional films and digital radiography when compared to manual tracings. The cephalometric images were captured simultaneously for each research subject by placing a conventional film in front of the storage phosphor screen in the same cassette. The conventional film was then scanned and saved on disk. The storage phosphor screen was read via a laser scanner and also saved on disk. One investigator made all the measurements. Ten different cephalograms were traced manually, both the scanned image and digital image were loaded into D and V on separate days and analyzed. Holdaway's and Steiner's soft tissue cephalometric analysis were performed. Student-Newman-Keuls statistical procedures were used to determine which computer program (D or V) was closest to hand tracing (Reliability using different subjects). Statistically significant differences were seen in all techniques (Vistadent Scanned [VS], Vistadent Digital [VD], Dolphin Digital [DD]) except Dolphin Scanned, which was closest to HT. From all the statistically significant values only one measurement, facial angle has clinical significance.

Keywords:  orthodontics, cephalometrics, soft tissue, storage phosphor screen, digital radiography