Clinical efficacy of a new software developed for dental digital subtraction radiography

Objectives: The aim of this study was to test and compare the efficacy of software developed recently for digital subtraction radiography (DSR) in vivo. Methods: An algorithm performing both manual and automated image reconstructions and contrast correction was developed for the manipulation of radiographic images. Pre- and post-operative radiographic images of ten patients were obtained and the automated subtraction analyses were performed using four different softwares (new software, Emago , Photoshop 8.0 and Paintshop (TM) Pro (R) 9). Ten experienced dental specialists evaluated the clinical efficacy of each program and scored the softwares by using visual analogue scales (VAS). The results were statistically analysed and a was set as 0.05. Results: The newly developed algorithm received higher scores than the others (new software = 67.89, Emago (R) = 64.26, Paintshop (TM) Pro (R) 9 = 33.41 and Photoshop 8.0 = 27.24, respectively). The clinical efficacies of the new software and Emago (R) were not significantly different (P = 0.720); likewise, Photoshop 8.0 and Paintshop (TM) Pro (R) 9 performed comparably (P = 0.295). Conclusions: Considering this study, the new software and Emago (R) would be suggested for DSR in dental practice.