• Subscribe
  • Clinical Mastermind
  • Podcast
  • Earn CE
  • Free Samples
  • Innovator Awards
    1. Practice Management
    2. Industry

    Olympus develops standards for dental imaging and digital photography

    Feb. 5, 2002
    The standards will benefit both dentists and their patients in the clinical setting by facilitating accurate diagnoses and treatment planning, as well as making the comparisons of pre-op and post-op images much easier.

    Olympus America, Inc., the world leader in film and filmless photography, today became the first camera manufacturer to develop a set of standards for dental imaging and digital photography. The standards will benefit both dentists and their patients in the clinical setting by facilitating accurate diagnoses and treatment planning, as well as making the comparisons of pre-op and post-op images much easier. Moreover, in the scientific setting, the standards will help advance dentistry by enabling practitioners and researchers to share images of the highest quality.

    The standards codify optimal magnification ratios, camera positions and patient positions necessary for creating standard dental views -- full face, full smile, retracted dentition and maxillary and mandibular occlusal. In addition, the standards address optional views such as close-up face, mouth at rest, retracted with shade tab and close-up anterior views.

    The standards are the result of a joint effort between Olympus and Dr. David Gane, Vice President of Dental Imaging for PracticeWorks Inc., and former CEO of DICOM Imaging Systems, Inc. Dr. Gane brought more than 20 years of dental and dental imaging expertise to the project. Dr. Mike Maroon, partner of genR8TNext, a leading group focused on the advancement of dentistry, collaborated with Dr. Gane.

    "Olympus' commitment to the healing sciences goes back to 1919 with the company's first product, a microscope," said Brett Serxner, Vertical Marketing Manager, Olympus America. "The maximum potential of our products in dentistry could not be realized unless there was a common protocol for creating, archiving and comparing images. We teamed up with the best minds in dental imaging and dentistry to develop this standard."

    "We are very excited to see these standards come to fruition," said Dr. Gane. "In helping to create them, Olympus has demonstrated their commitment to education in dentistry as well as excellence in the area of digital dental photography. Through its participation in this project, Olympus has done a great service to both the dental community and consumers of dental services nationwide."

    The standards are currently in the public domain and can be used by other photographic equipment manufacturers and dental product companies.

    A copy of the document can be obtained by contacting Olympus America or Dr. Gane at [email protected].