|
New Articles
   |
June 2009 | dentalproductsreport.com Product Flashback: In just two decades these devices have shifted from heavy batons tethered to behemoth stand-alone computers to featherweight handpieces with impressive capabilities.  Photo: Gendex Dental Systems A look back at the development of intraoral cameras pretty much confirms the rule that each new generation of a given technology packs more power into ever smaller packages, and these advances often are accompanied by shrinking price tags. The latest crop of intraoral video devices are sleek, lightweight handpieces with high power LED lighting, impressive optical capabilities and easy, often direct, connection to an operatory computer via USB or similar cable. According to the March 2009 DPR Technology Survey 68% of practices have an intraoral camera, and 69% of practices with computers in the operatory have an intraoral camera connected to their machines. But while the main use of these devices as patient education and case acceptance aides has not changed all that much in the 20-plus years since they first hit the market, the technology powering the systems certainly has. Use of the cameras has continued to rise over the years with the devices shedding and shrinking components along the way. First systems  Photo: DentaCam from Patterson Dental The systems first appeared in the late 1980s, with the DentaCam from Patterson Dental on display at that year’s Greater New York Dental Meeting. According to the company’s Web site the original system came with a $25,000 price tag and was being targeted for use at dental schools. Back then intraoral camera systems required a good amount of space as the camera handpiece was just a small part of a rig that included a large video processor box, a dedicated computer with monitor and keyboard, a floppy disc drive for saving and transporting still images and a VCR for saving video captured by the camera. Every component of the system besides the actual camera handpiece would seem enormous by the standards of contemporary electronics.  Photo: AcuCam from AcuImage Inc. Early adopters But as a large number of manufacturers jumped into the market prices for the systems began to come down. A “Trends in Dentistry” article from the December 1990 issue of DPR covered more than ten intraoral cameras and computer imaging systems including the AcuCam (then from AcuImage Inc., but with updated models still available from Gendex, gendex.com) and the Fuji DentaCam system. “Today’s dental practitioners have a number of devices at their disposal with which they can present exciting, innovative visual images to educate and motivate patients,” the article read. The technology didn’t quite become a staple of every operatory overnight, and according to DPR survey data, just 7% of practices owned an intraoral camera system in 1992. However, as the systems got smaller and cheaper while providing higher quality images the rate of adoption increased and 22% of practices had bought into intraoral imaging by the fall of 1994. At that time most dentists were paying between $5,000 and $10,000 to invest in the technology that had shrunk to just a handpiece and a video processing box that still weighed several pounds but could be more easily moved between operatories. By the end of the decade the technology had penetrated close to half of the industry with 47% or practices reporting ownership, 17% saying they planned to buy one and 36% listing intraoral cameras as a technology they’d like to own if price were not a concern in the January 1999 DPR Technology survey. The systems themselves had advanced to be very close to what is being used today, with a report on the 199 model of the DEXcam boasting of a total weight under 2 pounds, a camera handpiece weighing just 5 ounces and S-video output to allow connection to desktop or laptop computers. Close to standard The adoption of intraoral cameras has continued at about the same pace throughout the past decade with 51% of the respondents to the March 2004 DPR Computer/Internet Usage Survey saying they use their operatory computers for intraoral video, and 63% of practices reporting ownership of an intraoral system. Gone are the days of wheeling a massive cart between operatories to show patients live intraoral images. The latest in the intraoral camera field have abandoned the docking station processors and added USB computer connectivity to fit the entire device in just the lightweight handpiece. As this technology continues to become both more powerful and more compact, it seems likely the rate of adoption will continue to grow until it becomes a standard component of just about every operatory.
|
|
Printer Friendly
Email Article
Related articles 