View Add/Edit Patient Images screen. View Video, 1 min. 43 sec.

Currently, several scanners are available that are acceptable for dental scanning. Our first choice is the Microtek Scanmaker i900. This has an 8 x 10 inch transparency area. The best part about the i900 is that it is available for under $600. The Epson 1680 Pro also has an 8 x10 inch transparency area however the price is over $1100. Mircrotek makes scanners with larger transparency areas than 8 x 10. For example the 9600XL has an 11 x 15 inch area and the 9800XL has a 12 x 16 inch area. Either of these will easily fit any dental x-ray arrangement, mounted or un-mounted, but these scanners cost significantly more than the i900. The UMAX Powerlook PL1000 costs only about $600 and has a transparency area larger than 8 x 10 inches. At Diamond Dental Software we briefly had one to test and felt the Microtek i900 was a better scanner.

Scanning X-Rays
To scan X-rays, place them on the glass in the desired arrangement (mounted or un-mounted) with the bubble or dimple facing you. Click the Scanner button on the Add/Edit Patient Images screen. The Acquire Twain Scanner popup window will appear. Select “X-Ray” and click OK. Your scanner’s software will then display. Make sure your scanner’s software is set to Transparency and perform your scan. When you exit, Diamond Dental Software will acquire the image from your scanner and place it in the patient’s record.

Considering Scanner Resolution
Your scanner has a resolution setting that is set through your scanner’s software. It is measured in dpi (dots per inch) or ppi (pixels per inch). We will use the term dpi when referring to scanner resolution although the two measurements are similar (but not identical). Is there a “correct” setting for scanner resolution? No. You need to be aware that higher resolution (dpi) will produce an image of higher quality but image size will be larger. Lower dpi will produce an image of lower quality but image size will be smaller. The question is how high is too high and how low is too low? The dpi is too low if image quality is below what you consider to be acceptable. The dpi is too high if image quality does not justify the larger file size you are creating. So the decision of where to set your scanner resolution is in the “eye of the beholder.” We feel acceptable images for diagnostic purposes are generated when the scanner is set to a resolution between 150 and 250 dpi. You will need to experiment on your own to determine the best setting for you. National Electronic Attachment (NEA) suggests x-rays be scanned at about 100 dpi and reflective material be scanned at about 70 dpi. We feel that these settings are below the level for dental diagnosis, however these settings are not below the level of the insurance examiners who will be viewing them. Because of this, our NEA exporting module has the ability to export image files to NEA at a lower resolution than the original image that you store in the patient’s record. This allows you to maintain higher resolution images for your own use and transmit lower resolution images over the internet to the insurance inspectors, who are apparently happy viewing 100 dpi x-ray images.