Background: Endodontic procedures rely heavily on correct radiographs. All stages of endodontic care delivery are affected by the quality of resultant image.
Objective: Objective of this study was to observe type and frequency of technical errors reported during obtaining intraoral radiographs in the endodontic Department of a teaching hospital.
Methods: A total of 600 radiographs were included in this retrospective audit. The radiographs were exposed during routine endodontic procedures. A previously published criteria was used to ascertain the technical quality. SPSS version 21 for windows was used for statistical analysis. Frequency and percentage was calculated as well as chi square test was used to determine associations between variables. P < 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: A total of 600 radiographs were included in our study out of which, 185 (30.8%) were found to be technically correct (p=0.183). Radiographs of mandibular molars presented with most errors (n=115, 42.4%, p=0.002). Errors of technique were more prevalent (n=383, 63.8%) followed by errors of processing (n=151, 25.2%, p=0.000). Most common error of technique was positioning error (n=113, 18.8%) (Table no 3). Most common processing error was yellowing of radiographs (n=60, 10%, p=0.003).
Conclusion: Performance of undergraduate students in obtaining radiographs was poor. Positioning errors were found to be the most common error while radiographs of mandibular molars were most affected.
Key words: Dental Radiography, Bisecting Technique, Under graduate Dental Students, Errors of Technique, Processing Errors
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