Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM)

Most digital systems that are being sold today are stand-alone systems and do not necessarily interface with each other. This means that an image obtained with a Gendex sensor cannot be viewed with a TREXtrophy system or vice versa, unless one goes through a series of complicated steps. This hampers oral health professionals in their ability to exchange images without going through a complex process. As a result of the inability of systems to communicate with each other, the American Dental Association Informatics Task Group has adopted the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard. The DICOM standard has long been used by the medical establishment and specifies file formats to allow images to be viewed cross-platform. Once manufacturers of digital dental equipment become compliant with the DICOM standard, oral health professionals will be able to exchange images with more ease, making image viewing a simpler process. For specific information on the DICOM standard, visit http://ddsdx.uthscsa.edu/DICOM.html or http://www.dicomanalyser.co.uk/ html/introduction.htm.