Department of Public Health Dentistry, D. J. College of Dental Sciences and Research, Ajit Mahal, Niwari Road, Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh
*Address for correspondence: Swati Jain, Email id: doc_bk2@yahoo.co.in
Online published on 16 November, 2013.
Limited utility of conventional radiographic equipments for community settings has necessitated research for Portable dental radiography. This systematic review gives an insight into portable dental X ray machines; evaluating its image quality in comparison to conventional x ray machines.
A review of literature was performed searching for all articles on the use of portable dental radiographic units, from 1978 to 2012. On the basis of comprehensive search and inclusion criteria 6 clinical studies, 2 review articles and 2 reports were selected.
The image quality for portable units was high and comparable with the conventional X ray machines. The operator’s radiation dose was found to be in the acceptable range. The small focal spot size (0.6–0.8 mm), small size, less weight and portability; makes the use of these machines highly appropriate for community services.
The future of portable radiographic machines looks promising with comparable physical parameters with conventional radiographic machines.
Radiography and dental clinics, X ray, portable dental radiography, radiology for community setting
