Influence of phosphor plate-based radiographic image specifications on fractal analysis of alveolar bone.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of spatial resolution, bit depth, and enhancement filters on the fractal dimension (FD) of photostimulable phosphor (PSP) plate-based intraoral radiographic images of alveolar bone. STUDY DESIGN: Periapical radiographs were obtained using PSP plates, which were scanned at 2 spatial resolutions: 1270 dpi and 2000 dpi. All images were subjected to 3 enhancement filters-Perio, Endo, and Fine-and exported in 8 and 16 bits. A region-of-interest was selected on alveolar bone and the FD value was calculated. The multiway analysis of variance test followed by the post hoc Tukey test compared the FD values between the different groups (alpha = 0.05). RESULTS: No significant difference was observed in FD values between the 8- and 16-bit images. Except for the Perio filter, FD values were significantly higher for images at 1270 dpi. FD values were significantly higher for the Perio filter, followed by the Endo filter, and the Fine filter. The FD values of the Fine filter did not differ significantly from the original image. CONCLUSIONS: Fractal analysis of alveolar bone obtained from PSP plate-based intraoral radiographic images is influenced by spatial resolution and some digital enhancement filters; therefore, for FD comparison purposes, images should have the same specifications.