FR2618917A1 - Method for marking dental radiographs - Google Patents

Abstract

After having fixed on to the sleeve containing the radiographic film, along one of its edges, a small band comprising textual markings previously made in particular by embossing, the sleeve containing the film is fitted into a case made of an opaque and radiopaque material, in particular made of lead, masking all of the film except for the zone provided with the small band, the sleeve housed in its protective case is placed on the target of the radiographic camera and an X-ray exposure is made, after which the protective case is removed and the radiography is performed in the normal manner.

Description

 The present invention relates to a method for marking dental radiographs.

 There are already numerous methods of marking dental radiographs intended to identify a radiograph by indications relating to the patient, the date, the tooth considered, etc.

 The most commonly used method consists of writing the identification indications on the radiographic plate after development and drying using a special ink.

 Taking into account the small dimensions of the radiographs (in practice the films have a substantially rectangular shape of 4 cm x 3 cm) the space available for inscriptions, generally along one edge of the radiography, is very small and requires particularly meticulous writing.

 In addition, identification registrations are only carried out after development of the radiography, so that the risks of confusion with other radiographs taken for the same patient or for previous patients are relatively high.

 We also already know from FR - A - 2 561 407 a method of marking radiographs consisting in producing on a strip of malleable high density material forming an X-ray screen, inscriptions, by hand engraving or using a tool, the strip being then fixed to the radiography preferably by a self-adhesive face and exposed to X-rays at the same time as the rest of the film when the photograph was taken. The engraved inscriptions, in particular by embossing, constitute areas transparent to radiation and are found on the film during its exhibition.

 This method, although achieving a significant improvement compared to traditional registration methods, nevertheless has drawbacks.

 In particular, the area provided with the inscriptions being impressed at the same time as the rest of the radiograph during the intra-oral radiography operation, the inscriptions usually do not appear very clearly on the radiography after development, due in particular to a certain blurring caused by an untimely over-impression of parasitic images originating for example from the presence in the mouth of fillings, crowns, root posts or radiopaque obturating pastes.

 The present invention proposes to improve the aforementioned process by significantly improving the quality of the inscriptions on the radiography after development.

The method according to the invention is essentially characterized by the fact that after having fixed on the pocket containing the radiographic film, along an edge of the latter a strip, in particular of tinned lead provided with a self-adhesive face and having inscriptions made beforehand by embossing, the pouch containing the film is placed in a case made of material opaque to the rays
X, in particular in lead, masking the entire film with the exception of the zone provided with the strip, lton places the pocket housed in its protective case on the target of the radiography device and an exposure is carried out X-ray, after which the protective case is removed and the X-ray is carried out in the usual way.

 It is understood that according to the invention, a pre-printing of the plate is carried out so as to impress thereon the inscriptions made by embossing on the strip. Insofar as this pre-impression ## is not carried out at the same time as the radiography in the mouth, it can be carried out with times and doses of radiation much greater than the actual radiography operation.

 As a result, the inscriptions will therefore appear in black in a markedly more contrasted manner since the photograph in the pre-exposure stage can be placed on the target of the radiography device perpendicularly to the X-ray beam without any moved and undergo a greater irradiation than that admissible for a patient during a normal dental radiography.

 The method according to the invention also offers the advantage that the actual X-ray can be taken with the vertically placed plate, which makes it possible to use a larger useful surface of the film for the X-ray.

 Indeed, the strip is generally arranged along a long side of the rectangle constituting the film and, in the known method, insofar as the part provided with the strip must be impressed at the same time as the rest of the photograph, the film must be placed horizontally.

 The useful height of the radiography is then the length of the short side of the rectangle minus the width of the strip.

 On the contrary according to the invention, insofar as the part of the film provided with the inscriptions is pre-impressed, it is no longer necessary to impress it during the actual radiography, of: so that the film can be placed vertically in the mouth, the height useful for radiography being the length of the long side of the rectangle constituting the film.

 Although the invention has been described in connection with a particular embodiment, it is obvious that it is in no way limited thereto and that it can be brought to it with variants and modifications without departing from its scope, nor of his mind.

Claims (4)

 1. A method of marking dental radiographs in which is produced on a strip of malleable high density material forming an X-ray screen, inscriptions by etching, the strip then being fixed to the radiography and exposed to X-rays during the taking the picture, characterized in that after having fixed on the pocket containing the radiographic film, along an edge thereof, a strip comprising inscriptions made beforehand in particular by embossing, the pocket is put in place containing the film in a case made of opaque material and X-rays, in particular lead, masking the whole of the film with the exception of the zone provided with the strip, the pouch housed in its protective case is placed on the target of the X-ray machine and X-ray exposure is carried out, after which the protective case is removed and the X-ray is carried out in the usual manner.  2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that one uses a tinned lead strip provided with a self-adhesive face.  3. Method according to any one of claims 1 and 2, in which a film of rectangular section is used, characterized in that the strip is placed along a long side of the rectangle.  4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the final step of radiography in the mouth is carried out with the film arranged vertically.