CAD/CAM international magazine of digital dentistry

06 I I special _ digital photography _In today’s environment of patient’s high ex- pectations and increased litigation, especially with regard to cosmetic dentistry, good record-keeping isessential.Clinicalphotographyisaveryimportant tool in general practice in documenting treatment, especially in aesthetic and cosmetic cases.1 Clinical photography and academic presenta- tionhaveundergoneatransformationoverthepast tenyears.2 Inthepast,clinicalslidephotographyand carousel slide lecture presentations were the gold standard in both dentistry and the medical fields. Over the past decade, the avail- ability of digital photography, digitalimagingsystemsanddig- ital presentation software pro- grams has revolutionised teach- ing and lecturing. Before the advent of digital photography, it was expensive to purchase dedicated 35 mm dental photographic equipment and accessories, and it was more likely to be dentists who were also amateur photographers who bought such equipment.3 Since the development of digital cameras, the costs have been brought down quite consider- ably. This has made it more ac- cessibleformostdentistsintheireverydaypractice. The main advantages of digital versus film photog- raphy are instant image acquisition, reduced costs of film processing and a relatively easy learning curve. It is very difficult to outrace technology, as it is evolving daily at a rapid rate and one will always be behind. So don’t plan on using your current dig- ital equipment for the rest of your life; it is always outdated within a couple of years. Over time as our ownskillsandknowledgeimprovewithdigitalpho- CAD/CAM 3_2012 Figs. 1a & b_Canon EOS 40D 105 mm lens with ring flash and dual flash lighting systems (SLR). Fig. 2_Nikon Coolpix 4500 (point and shoot). Fig. 3_Nikon Coolpix 4500 with ring light (point and shoot). Clinical digital dental photographyAuthor_ Dr Amit Patel, UK Fig. 3Fig. 2 Fig. 1bFig. 1a