Faulty radiographs: A cross-sectional analysis among dental college students in Namakkal District, Tamil Nadu, India

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the ability of taking and processing of intraoral periapical radiographs (IOPA) by the dental college undergraduate students and also to evaluate the impact of teaching on their skills. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted in the OMRD department. Final year students (52) and interns (41) of 2014 were included in this study. In this 1 year study, 13104 IOPAs were taken and manually processed by these students. These radiographs were evaluated by two senior faculties of the department separately. To check variability between two examiners, ANOVA test was performed and all data were analyzed using WINDOW’S SPSS version 12 (Microsoft, USA). RESULTS: Of 13104 IOPAs, 3538 were considered as faulty radiographs, of this 26.1% cone cut which occupies the first position and was followed by improper vertical angulation (25.2%), film position error (23.2%), improper horizontal angulation (13.1%), processing errors (9.5%), and miscellaneous such as reversed film, film bending (2.9%). CONCLUSION: Considering the statistical analysis by increasing experience, students make fewer numbers of errors.