There are different methods to produce digital head films and all have advantages and disadvantages. With a digital head film and a computer programme for digital cephalometry an analysis can be performed easily. All existing computer programmes for digital cephalometry use reference values to compare with the patient's values. However, the magnification factors of the two data sets, which are compared, must be known and correction to the same magnification must be possible within the programme. Furthermore, the reference values should be age, gender, and population related. Many commercially available programmes do not fulfil these criteria. A well-designed programme for digital cephalometry should have the possibility to calculate age and gender-related reference values based on values of the target population. Furthermore it should have the possibility to analyse several longitudinal head films at the same time and to present the data graphically. A national survey among Dutch orthodontists by the end of 2000 demonstrated that 35% of Dutch orthodontists used digital cephalometry in their office. The most commonly used analysis was the Steiner-Tweed analysis, which was performed by nearly 60% of the orthodontists.

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