Sir, I was pleased to read the letter by G. A. Greenwood (BDJ 2009; 206: 221). It was as if I had written the letter myself since I also as a Senior Dental Officer practising special care dentistry for many years have found oblique lateral radiographs very useful when looking after people with severe disabilities including those examined and treated under conscious sedation and general anaesthesia. Indeed I often wonder why this technique is not used more widely by colleagues looking after similar patients. If it were, I suspect the radiographic industry would make appropriate digital sensors and cassettes more widely available.

In the mean time I have found either using a digital DPT cassette or a digital true lateral cephalometric lateral skull (lateral ceph.) cassette to fulfil the requirement although these are a little larger than the standard wet-film cassettes I have used for oblique lateral views.