Future trends in dental radiology.

Direct digital dental radiographic systems offer the potential to radically change the way dentists diagnose and treat dental pathoses. They offer instantaneous availability of radiographs, markedly lower patient radiation exposure, and the elimination of developing chemicals and developing equipment. The storage of dental radiographs as digital data permits their transmittal over phone lines facilitating phone consultations and may someday allow expedited authorization of treatment plans by dental insurance companies. With the use of digital subtraction radiology the dental practitioner will be able to diagnose periodontal disease progression and dental caries progression long before current techniques can detect a change. With tuned aperture computed tomography, the owner of a filmless digital system can make tomographic radiographs that allow the visualization of slices through areas of interest without having to buy additional hardware. Computer-aided diagnosis will facilitate the detection of proximal dental caries and osteoporosis, and may someday allow automated tracing of cephalometric radiographs.