Comparison of dental intraoral films by means of radiographic characteristics

Statement of the problems: Nowadays in many of the dental radiography centers in Iran, three types of intraoral films are being used. There is a controversy about the best film regarding to sensitivity properties. Purpose: In this study, we aimed to compare sensitivity characteristics and detail recording of intraoral films. Methods and materials: In this experimental study, three types of intraoral dental films (Agfa E&F-speed Dentus M۲ Comfort, Kodak Intraoral E-speed and Foma Dentix Intraoral E-speed) were evaluated by drawing the characteristic curves of these three types of films. Sensitivity characteristics of each film were defined considering their characteristic curves. To measure the accuracy of the films in recording details an aluminum test object was used. Finally, the sensitivity characteristics of the films and their ability in detail recording in different processing conditions were compared. Data were analyzed using the ANOVA test. Results: The findings indicate that Foma-dentix film presents the highest base plus fogy density using both fresh and used developer solutions. The relative speed of Kodak film was higher than the others. Kodak and Foma-dentix films had the highest and the lowest contrast, respectively. Considering the rate of detail recording, it was found that the detail recording of Agfa film was much better than the two other films in different developing and exposure conditions .The One-way ANOVA test showed significant statistical difference. Conclusion: The sensitivity characteristics of Kodak films are better than the other ones. The accuracy of detail resolution of Agfa film was the highest. To achieve a high quality film, it is advised to use a new developer solution.