AUTHOR=Chaitanya Nallan CSK , Padmanabhan Vivek , Islam Md Sofiqul , Hashim Nada Tawfig , Mohammed Riham , Allam Neeharika Satyajyothi , Omar Jouma Jalal , Zakaria Ahmed , Pranathi Shaga , Apoorva Mamindla 

TITLE=Enhancing intraoral radiographic technique: introducing “Nallan's Lines”

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oral Health

VOLUME=Volume 5 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oral-health/articles/10.3389/froh.2024.1498117

DOI=10.3389/froh.2024.1498117

ISSN=2673-4842

ABSTRACT=BackgroundIntraoral radiography remains the most widely employed dental radiographic technique for producing geometrically accurate images with minimal distortion and magnification. Despite its common use in the dental office, incorrect projection geometry can be challenging leading to image distortions. To mitigate these inaccuracies specific radiographic landmarks on the face are utilized during periapical radiography. Nallan's lines, proposed in this study may address the perpetual issue.Material and methodsIn this cross over study, the participants were divided into 2 groups, Group A and Group B comprising nine in the each group. The bisecting angle technique was performed by the participants using a gyroscopic device fitted with a LASER with (Study subjects) and without (Controls) utilizing Nallan's lines on a selected group of teeth using a phantom model. Subsequent images were compared with those images obtained by an oral radiologist using the same model for geometric distortions of the images. This comparative analysis aimed to identify potential geometric distortions within the generated imagesResultsA paired t-test was employed to compare the mean length and breadth of teeth before and after radiographic training. Additionally, a McNemar Test was used to assess the impact of Nallan's lines on technical errors. Both analyses revealed statistically significant improvements post-training (p < 0.01). To determine if radiographic training affected the performance of volunteers and specialists, a Chi-Square Test was conducted to compare error rates. No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups, both before and after training.ConclusionThe adoption of Nallan's lines may enhance the accuracy and quality of intraoral radiographic images. By adhering to this geometric framework dental practitioners can minimize geometric distortions and thereby repeated radiographic exposures of patients.