Tell me the benefits of digital radiography over traditional radiography.

Submitted by: Dr. Hamidreza

Answered by: Kathy O’Keefe, DDS, MS


Digital radiography has many advantages over traditional x ray film. The biggest advantage is that the image is ready for viewing immediately. There are also no processing materials or film needed. The amount of radiation required for a digital image is about 5 times less than that required for a traditional x ray. The digital image can be lightened, darkened, and enhanced in a number of ways once it is displayed on the computer screen. The main two disadvantages are cost and the relatively large, unwieldy intraoral sensor that is required to capture the digital image.