Periapical radiographic technique errors made with digital sensors

Purpose: The objective of this study was to analyze the errors of technique in periapical radiographs as performed by fourth year students at the Dentistry School of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Material and Methods: Fifteen students were randomly selected and each one performed a complete periapical examination in a mannequin. A Direct Digital X-Ray System equipped with a size 2 Sensor was used to obtain the radiographic images. A total of 210 periapical radiographs were evaluated and the images were classified according to the errors that were related to the radiographic technique. The students were also asked to report on their experience with the direct digital system. Results: The absence of a safety margin was the most frequent error on the radiographs that were performed by the students, while elongated image errors were not found. Regarding the radiographed regions, the highest frequency of errors was found in the upper canine region on the left side. Conclusion: The need for a greater training of the students of dentistry, in order to better perform the radiographic technique and to decrease the occurrence of technique errors in periapical radiographs when using a digital receptor, is emphasized.