Clinical assessment of anatomic positioning and patient comfort for intraoral radiography: a comparison of xeroradiography versus film.

The Xerox 110 dental system employs rigid beveled-edge cassettes containing charged selenium-alloy plates for intraoral xeroradiography. This study evaluates the ability of a skilled operator to position these cassettes accurately within the oral cavity as compared to the ability to position conventional film packets using two types of image holders. Results indicate that xeroradiographic cassettes are significantly more difficult to use for complete-mouth radiographs than comparable conventional film packets. Also, the use of xeroradiographic cassettes causes a slight increase in patient discomfort. In addition, two types of rectangular collimating devices were shown to be useful. The greatest shortcoming of the xeroradiographic cassette is not its greater thickness or rigidity but the reduced dimensions of its internal surface area.