Accuracy of enhancement filters in measuring in vitro peri-implant bone level

Abstract

Objectives: To identify the accuracy of enhancement filters of an intraoral phosphor-plate system for measuring the simulated peri-implant bone level. Materials and methods: A total of 20 titanium implants (Titamax®) were placed into six fragments of bovine ribs and defects simulating bone loss were created. Periapical radiographs were taken with a phosphor-plate system (Vista Scan®) according to the paralleling standard technique, and nine enhancement filters were applied: fine, caries 1, caries 2, perio, endo, noise reduction, invert, emboss, and sculpture. The Friedman test compared the radiographic measurements of the defects to those obtained on the bovine ribs with a digital caliper. Intra- and interobserver agreement was calculated with the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: The ICC values showed excellent intra- and interobserver agreement. The caries1, caries2, endo, and perio filters resulted on measurements statistically different from both the original images and the measurements of the digital caliper (P < 0.05). The other filters did not show statistically significant differences from the original images nor from the measurements of the digital caliper. Conclusion: In addition to the original images, the fine and emboss filters resulted on the most precise measures. The caries1, caries2, endo, and perio filters were the less accurate for measuring the peri-implant bone level.