Comparison of technical errors in pediatric bitewing radiographs acquired with round vs rectangular collimation

Richard E Campbell; Dave Anderson; Keith Strauss; Carolyn Brown; Matthew Fenchel; Stephen Wilson; William Scarfe

doi:10.1016/j.oooo.2021.09.002

Comparison of technical errors in pediatric bitewing radiographs acquired with round vs rectangular collimation

Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2022 Mar;133(3):333-342. doi: 10.1016/j.oooo.2021.09.002. Epub 2021 Sep 14.

Authors

Richard E Campbell¹, Dave Anderson², Keith Strauss³, Carolyn Brown⁴, Matthew Fenchel⁵, Stephen Wilson², William Scarfe⁶

Affiliations

¹ University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Division of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA; Division of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
³ Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
⁴ Division of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
⁵ Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
⁶ Division of Radiology and Imaging Science, Department of Surgical and Hospital Dentistry, University of Louisville School of Dentistry, Louisville, KY, USA.

PMID: 34627711
DOI: 10.1016/j.oooo.2021.09.002

Abstract

Objective: To compare technical errors in bitewing radiographs acquired with round vs rectangular collimation in a hospital-based pediatric dentistry training program.

Study design: A retrospective chart review was conducted of 176 digital bitewing radiographs exposed with round collimation and 106 exposed with rectangular collimation. The number of re-exposures was calculated, and errors in central ray entry (CRE; "cone cuts"), horizontal and vertical positioning, and angulation were measured.

Results: There were no greater re-exposures but significantly more CRE errors with rectangular collimation (21.7%; n = 23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 13.9%-30.0%) than with round collimation (3.4%; n = 6; 95% CI, 0.7%-6.1%). CRE error location, horizontal positioning errors, and size of horizontal overlapped contacts were statistically different but not clinically important.

Conclusions: Use of rectangular collimation resulted in increased CRE errors but no other clinically significant problems. This technique should be used to reduce radiation exposure to patients.

MeSH terms

Child
Humans
Radiation Dosage
Radiography, Bitewing
Retrospective Studies*