Application of phosphor plate device

Photostimulable phosphor (PSP) plates are still widely used as receptors in intraoral radiography.These image receptors allow indirect digital image acquisition; more specifically, after the exposure, latent image occurs on the plate, it is then converted to a digital radiographic four image via a scanning device. Generally, PSP plate-based radiographic systems are named as “computed radiography” (CR) and the term “digital radiography” is preferred for the solid-state detector-based imaging. Advantages of CR include having cordless and flexible plates, having similar structural features to well-known conventional films, being easily manipulated, the option of changing image adjustments via software, lower dose requirements, a wide dose latitude, the elimination of chemical processes, an ease of storage, sharing and replication.The integration of these relatively new imaging technologies in dental radiographic practices has brought about innovations that have to be understood for a proper examination. Incorrect manipulations and technical errors during both acquisition and processing of the images may cause distinctive radiographic errors and artefacts. Thus, the optimal radiographic examination for an area of interest cannot be performed, which may lead to a misdiagnosis. Determining and clarifying the mechanisms of these mistakes is essential in overcoming these errors and artefacts.The aim of this study was to detect and determine image error and artefact types in intraoral radiographs obtained with PSP technology, place them in an appropriate classification and retrospectively analyze the detected PSP-specific image artefacts. Evaluation includes a large number of PSP-based radiographs acquired in one university dental hospital. The causes and solutions of the errors and artefacts which are specific to PSP-based intraoral imaging have also been discussed.