Mastering digital dental photography

  • W. Bengal
, UK: Quintessence price £120, pp 394 ISBN 1850971528 | ISBN: 1-850-97152-8

First impressions are that this is a quality well produced and presented reference book on all aspects of digital dental photography. On further inspection these observations were confirmed: just looking through the index made the anticipation of the content exciting.

Split into three logical sections — Technical, Practical and Digital workflow — the reader can easily jump to chapters of interest and detailed 'how to' instructions.

The Technical section comprises four chapters with explanations of digital cameras, lenses, lighting and capture technologies, well categorised for the novice to pick up salient points and to give the more experienced user a better understanding of the technology.

Moving on to the Practical section, this starts with a description of aids to get visual access to all areas in the mouth, namely using mirrors and retractors. A description of the standard intra oral and portrait views likely to be required follows, with associated recommended techniques. The methods described to achieve good portrait shots concentrated on studio lighting techniques, perhaps not 'practical' in most dental practices. Studio lighting techniques are also discussed in the chapter 'Photographing small objects'; this takes four chapters and gives good advice on the professional techniques employed, but sadly, little advice on techniques which can be used without the use of studio lighting. The last chapter in this section briefly covers digitising existing slides and prints.

'The digital workflow' section ie stages in the digital imaging process, is the largest section, twice the size of either of the other sections and for good reason. Digital workflow directly affects your time and digital output, two of the most important elements in digital imaging. The section covers image transfer and includes a small section on RAW files, which I feel will emerge as the standard format in the future. This is followed by a few well documented chapters on image editing procedures covering topics such as image sharpening, treatment simulation, whitening teeth, red eye removal etc. Advanced procedures are also covered, creating collages, adding text content to your images etc. The final chapter is dedicated to slide presentations using PowerPoint, a very useful overview of what can be achieved in PowerPoint to present your prized images.

This is an excellent book of reference and practical procedures on all aspects of digital dental photography, and would be a valuable asset for both novice and experienced members of the dental team.