Xeroradiography of dental structures. I. Preliminary investigations.

Xeroradiography has several inherent technical advantages over intraoral film radiography, as well as many convenience features. We found that a conventional dental x-ray unit can act as an excellent source of radiation for xeroradiography of dental structures. Furthermore, high-quality images of soft tissue, bone, and teeth were produced at radiation exposures up to seven times less than for conventional intraoral film radiography. This demonstration of reduced radiation exposure should further encourage research into the applicability of xeroradiography to the imaging of dental structures.