PHOTOMETRIC ANALYSIS IN DENTISTRY: A PILOT METHODOLOGICAL STUDY USING DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY ON ARTIFICIAL SURFACES

Purpose: Digital photography can be utilized for photo- and colorimetric analysis of various findings in the maxillofacial region. To date, these methods are limited, expensive and complex to execute. The aim of this study is to design a simple, inexpensive, and straightforward methodology for assessing different metrics that would be beneficial for both dental science and the monitoring of the healing and treatment processes. Material and methods: To realize this aim, 30 samples with a regular circular shape were initially prepared and used for the development of the current method. They were analyzed with specialized digital photography equipment and photographic software. Their area and perimeter were manually calculated by means of mathematical formulas. Afterwards, a digital measurement was performed on the captured image by defining the pixel count in 10 mm of the same image. The region of interest is marked, and different parameters such as area and perimeter were calculated. Result: The results of the study indicate that the mean values for perimeter and area obtained from both measurement methods are similar, with no statistically significant differences observed between them (p>0.05). Conclusions: The method for photo- and colorimetric analysis that we have developed ensures accurate measurements of parameters such as hue, chroma and value. The application of this methodology is highly beneficial in analyzing complex-shaped objects where manual measurement of the metric parameters is almost impossible. Our newly developed methodology has several advantages, such as its non-invasiveness, low-cost and easy execution, reproducibility and rapid analysis of metrical parameters.