Filming Dental Implants
September 8, 2009 § 3 Comments
I recently got a question from an American dentist, concerning the filming of dental implant procedures (image credit). As this may be interesting to others, I post the question and answer here.The question
Any recommendations for video equipment of dental implant procedures? The focal range would be narrow for intraoral shots. I just do not know where to go for this information. Any help would be appreciated.
My answer
As I do not have any experience with dental photography or video, I’ve forwarded your question to a dental photographer I know.
She recommends fixing a camera to the dental light or the dentists head to film intraorally, and (if possible) have a small DV camera to capture the parts of the procedure done outside the mouth. Based on my own experience I would probably prefer a light-mounted camera to a head-mounted, as the latter tends to shake more (see this post).
Sony DXC-C33 (SD video, medical approval). Photo: Sony.
There are two Sony camera models available that can be used both on the light and the head. The DXC-C33 is a medically approved 3CCD standard definition camera. The camera head can be fitted with lenses with a C-mount lens mount. In this case, a telephoto lens would be recommended, as the camera will be mounted at a distance and with a narrow target (the mouth). The camera has bot Y/C and firewire outputs, but is not supplied with its own recording unit.
Another option is the HXR-MC1. This is not medically approved, and does not have an interchangeable lens. It is, however, a high definition (HD) camera that records on Memory Sticks. The camera is splash-proof and is fitted with a 10x optical zoom lens.
Sony HXR-MC1 (HD video, no medical approval). Photo: Sony.
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That device is really cool. But wouldn’t it be quite weird if your dental implantation would be filmed? I think it’s not only weird, but disgusting too.
The reason for filming a dental implant operation would be for educational purposes or for documentation.