More and more companies are coming up with some of the most advanced dental intraoral cameras in the market today. Most of which are using USB 2.0 technology, they are loaded with the most cutting-edge functionalities found in the dental marketplace.
The front liners in intraoral imaging use the latest in connectivity technology. It has three available output options, which include USB 2.0. Rival analog cameras using older technology require the additional expenditure of a capture card, the technical assistance needed to install the card, and the likelihood of system damage during installation. The new ones use a fully digital system that captures live streaming video and saves the information directly to the patient’s electronic chart.
At present, the intraoral camera market is experiencing another spike in product sales because of the replacement camera market. Dentists who originally purchased quality analog video cameras are incapable of connecting dental IOCs with their computer and electronic files. Those who can, usually find the images distorted. One more factor in the increasing demand for IOCs is due to dental professionals who first purchased low quality cameras as a starter camera. They have outgrown the function of a low quality camera, and they are now looking for higher quality images for diagnosis and integration with their computer files. Another contributing aspect is that digital x-ray companies offer and give away low-quality digital cameras. Numerous players in the digital x-ray market have been giving their low end dental intra oral cameras away as a freebie for buying their x-ray products.
There is no leading player in the dental IOC market. Presently, the market is almost equally divided into providers of high-end intra oral cameras and suppliers of low-end dental intra-oral cameras. This is perhaps due to the fact that IOCs have been available for a considerable time and may be seen as a commodity product. About 53% of dental practitioners own a dental intraoral camera. Although they have been a longtime essential technology in the dental industry, intraoral cameras remain rather under-utilized and open for new opportunities.
Function
Intra-oral cameras have been an established tool that bridges communication gap between dental care providers and their patients. A dental intraoral camera is a wand that includes a light source, and can be placed inside the patient’s mouth to capture tooth images used in diagnosis and patient education. This enables the patient to see what the dentist can see, significantly increasing case acceptance. Of late, analog intraoral cameras have mostly been substituted with digital systems. The progression has intensified with the arrival of integrated image management software.
Light Source
Dental practitioners who have used the latest dental IOCs often comment about the cameras’ light source that is somewhat larger than some, particularly lower image quality versions. The larger and higher quality light source is due to their use of white LEDs 5600k or halogen bulbs. This enables newer IOCs to cast more light on the subject, and the result is higher quality intra oral images with more accurate intra-oral colors.