Effect of radiographic technique upon prediction of tooth length in intraoral radiography.

Evaluation of the effect of radiographic technique upon the prediction of tooth lengths for all major types of teeth indicated the following: 1. The paralleling technique using the Rinn XCP film holder, the paralleling technique using the hemostat with bite block, and the bisecting-the-angle technique using the Rinn XCP film holder were the most accurate systems. 2. There were no significant differences among the three most accurate techniques. 3. The paralleling technique using a 16-inch tube-to-patient distance was more accurate than the bisecting-the-angle technique using an 8-inch tube-to-patient distance. 4. A beam-guiding film holder produced a more accurate radiographic image than the other film holders used in the study. 5. For the buccal roots of maxillary molars, the bisecting-the-angle technique using the Rinn XCP film holder produced the least mean difference between radiographic image and tooth length. 6. The accuracy of predicting the length of mandibular molar teeth from the diagnostic radiograph was not affected by radiographic technique.