Tasseva, Hristinka Atanassova2016-11-032016-11-032016-11-03http://hdl.handle.net/10539/21366A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Dentistry. Johannesburg, 2016Aim: The aim of this research was to carry out a prospective analysis of digital panoramic positioning errors with a view to assessing how closely internationally recommended targets of Quality Assurance (QA) in Dental Radiology are met in the Radiology section of the Department of General Dental Practice (GDP), Wits Oral Health Centre (WOHC). Method and Materials: Six hundred digital panoramic radiographs, taken as a sequential sample, were visually examined and evaluated for eleven (11) categories of prevalent positioning errors. All positioning faults were recorded based on assessment criteria and the diagnostic quality of each radiograph was determined on a scale of 1 to 3 and compared to British Dental Association (BDA) internationally recommended targets. Random sub-samples of 20% were re-examined at two (2) weeks and four (4) weeks to determine intra-observer reliability, and once by an outside observer to determine inter-observer agreement. Results: The most common positioning error was that the tongue was not placed against the palate (34.3%). The percentage of “excellent” radiographs (34.5%) was significantly below the BDA standard of ≥ 70% (p<0.0001). The percentage of “diagnostically acceptable” radiographs (44.5%) was significantly above the BDA standard of ≤ 20% (p<0.0001). The percentage of “totally unacceptable” radiographs (21.0%) was significantly above the BDA standard of ≤ 10% (p<0.0001). In other words, the results for the quality of the digital panoramic radiographs for the Wits Oral Health Centre did not meet the BDA standards. In conclusion, more meticulous training of students and operators is recommended.enThesis