Читать книгу Protocols for Mobile Dental Photography with Auxiliary Lighting - Louis Hardan - Страница 8

Introduction

Billions of photographs are taken worldwide each day, and most of them are captured with a smartphone.

The past is gone, we live in the present, and no one can predict the future. This is a reality that we cannot deny. Because our memories can be unclear and lack detail, to keep them alive we often try to capture moments with photographs and videos. Inventor Nicéphore Niépce is credited as the first to take a partially successful photograph in the early 19th century. This technology was slow to evolve, eventually picking up pace in the late 20th century with the introduction of pocket cameras, followed by the integration of cameras in mobile phones in recent years.

In 2011, only about 10% of the world’s population used a smartphone. In 2018, that figure jumped to 36%, with an estimated 3.8 billion users in 2021. Because smartphones are relatively similar in design, utility, and performance, smartphone companies are shifting their attention to the quality of their products’ cameras to give them the competitive advantage in the marketplace. After all, billions of photographs are taken worldwide each day, and most of them are captured with a smartphone. Improved optical zooming (10× or more), 360-degree video, and 3D imaging with depth sensing are the serious projects of the future for smartphone cameras, and there are plenty of other innovations on the horizon. This technology war between the dueling smartphone companies has spurred rapid evolution in the capabilities of smartphone cameras, leading even some professional photographers to start using their smartphones to take high-quality photographs with great definition.

We know that many dentists already use their smartphone cameras to document their cases and communicate with their laboratory because they do not have professional cameras, but a poorly taken photograph can compromise the quality of the dentistry delivered to the patient. Therefore, it is important to understand how to properly use a smartphone camera in the context of clinical photography. That is why we started the Mobile Dental Photography (MDP) project in 2012; we wanted to find a way to make documentation and communication easy and affordable to all dentists and laboratory technicians, including students. Even in hospitals, the trend of using smartphones and wireless technologies is increasing with the aim of providing high-quality, cost-effective, and altogether better health care.