Smartphone camera with external light source viable and useful alternative for intraoral photography

Written By : Dr. Shravani Dali |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2023-09-27T20:00:18+05:30 | Updated On 27 Sept 2023 8:00 PM IST

The smartphone camera with an external light source viable and useful alternative for intraoral photography suggests a new study published in the Journal of Dentistry.

This study aimed to investigate the colour accuracy of digital photographs captured by a single-lens reflex (SLR) camera and a smartphone camera in a clinical setting.

Dentate subjects were recruited, and their maxillary anterior teeth were photographed along with a colour target and a dental shade guide. There were eight groups: Group 1: SLR camera with a 100 mm macro-lens and a ring-flash (SLRC); Group 2: SLRC with a polarizer; Group 3: SLRC with white-balance calibration; Group 4: SLRC with a polarizer and white-balance calibration. Groups 5 to 8 were similar to Groups 1 to 4, except a smartphone camera and an external light source (SC) were used. The CIE LAB coordinates of the colour target, shade guide, and centre of the maxillary right central incisor (tooth 11) in the digital photographs were retrieved. The colour difference ΔE=[(ΔL*)2+(Δa*)2+(Δb*)2]1/2 to the reference colour coordinates or the reading of the dental spectrophotometer was calculated. The results were analysed by the Kruskal-Wallis test at α=0.05 with Bonferroni correction.

Results

Thirty-nine subjects were photographed. SLRC with a polarizer showed the largest ΔE in this study (P<0.001). When capturing tooth 11, SLRC with calibrated white-balance resulted in the smallest ΔE in this study (P<0.001), and the use of a polarizer and/or calibrated white-balance did not result in a smaller ΔE than that of SC alone (P>0.001).

Calibration for white-balance is recommended for the SLRC. The use of a polarizer does not show an improvement in colour accuracy. SC alone may be sufficient for intraoral photography. When capturing intraoral photography using a single-lens reflex camera, it is recommended to calibrate the white-balance. The use of a polarizer does not significantly improve colour accuracy. However, a smartphone camera with an external light source can serve as a viable alternative.

Reference:

Denise Yung, Andy KL Tse, Richard TC Hsung, Michael G Botelho, Edmond HN Pow, Walter YH Lam, Comparison of the colour accuracy of a single-lens reflex camera and a smartphone camera in a clinical context, Journal of Dentistry, Volume 137, 2023, 104681, ISSN 0300-5712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdent.2023.104681. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0300571223002671)

Keywords:

Smartphone, camera, external, light, source, viable, useful, alternative, intraoral, photography, Denise Yung, Andy KL Tse, Richard TC Hsung, Michael G Botelho, Edmond HN Pow, Walter YH Lam, Journal of Dentistry, Calibration; Camera; Colour; Digital photography; Smartphone; Spectrophotometer

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Source : Journal of Dentistry

Dr. Shravani Dali

Dr. Shravani Dali has completed her BDS from Pravara institute of medical sciences, loni. Following which she extensively worked in the healthcare sector for 2+ years. She has been actively involved in writing blogs in field of health and wellness. Currently she is pursuing her Masters of public health-health administration from Tata institute of social sciences. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in.

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751