Comparison of Cephalometric Measurements Obtained with Conventional and Digital Methods and their Reproducibility

For a long time cephalometrics has been a very important tool in the hands of orthodontist for diagnosis, treatment planning, treatment evaluation, growth prediction and for research work. Traditional cephalometric analysis performed by tracing radiographic landmarks on acetate overlays and measuring with the use of protractor is very time consuming and has several drawbacks, including a high risk of errors during hand tracing, landmark identification and measurement.1,2 Cephalometric errors can be divided into acquisition, identification and technical measurement errors. Research carried out on conventional cephalometrics proved landmark identification to be the main source of error.3,4 Among the factors contributing to the identification error include observer experience, landmark identification, density and sharpness of image.5 The rapid evolution of digital radiographic system and digital tracing software is having a deep impact on cephalometrics, slowly replacing traditional hand-tracing methods on hard copies of radiographic films. First generation computer-based analysis systems used digitizer pads for tracing conventional cephalometric ABSTRACT