A technological revolution in orthodontic photography.

This ProDental article was written by Carlos Nascimento, a Photo Marketing Association International Brazil member and former TVP of Brazil, after a conversation with Fernando Talask, also a PMAI Brazil member and former TVP.

Nascimento has been in the photo industry since 1973, and previously worked for Kodak of Brasil. He also started various businesses and photo stores during his career. Currently, Nascimento works with JPC Digital Imaging and Solucao & Imagem, which he helped start to offer digital imaging kiosks, ID cameras and printers, training, and enlargements to photographers and photo stores that are not yet digital-ready. He is also a consultant in the photo industry, and partnered with Talask on the ProDental products.

Talask invented the ProDental-Kit and has seven photo stores in Niteroi, Brazil. The article includes additional product information from the ProDental-Kit manual.

Dental photography

Photography provides indispensable data in orthodontic documentation of patients' teeth. The inter- and intra-oral photographs are part of the diagnosis elements and, among other factors, allow the professional dentist to verify the progress of orthodontic cases.

In the last years, orthodontics has progressed considerably in all areas. Photography, in turn, has also evolved, playing an important role in clinics and for documentation. The available equipment for orthodontic photography, as well as its accessories, however, is extremely complex, expensive, and difficult to use by dentists and students. These factors restricted its use by the great majority of professionals and students in Brazil.

Thinking about these and other factors, Fernando Talask invented the ProDental-Kit, which includes a digital camera and all necessary accessories for general close-up and macro photography.

Talask describes his product, used in orthodontic offices, as "an easy solution for difficult photographs."

The ProDental-Kit is used to take oral photographs of patients' irregular teeth and to track the progress. The simple-to-use, but innovative camera Talask created also helped improve sales and revenues in his photo store, Studio Asa 1000 Fotografia Ltda., mainly in digital printing services and accessories.

Professional niches

Talask focused in a niche that usually is not addressed by photo store owners in Brazil. This niche proved profitable for Talask, and indispensable for the dentists and doctors who use the photography in their daily professions.

Talask invented the device based on his experience as a photographer for his father-in-law's radiological clinic. The ProDental-Kit also went through years of research and field tests.

Carlos Nascimento partnered with Talask in the product. Nascimento, with consulting experience in the photo industry, helped commercialize Talask's invention. Nascimento registered the invention at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Brazil, and patented the device worldwide.

Talask and Nascimento participated as exhibitors at the 16th Brazilian Congress of Odontology in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 12-16, 2002. The interest was so great that, on the first day, all the ProDental-Kits were sold. Hundreds of additional orders were taken to be delivered later.

Macro and micro medical and orthodontic photography is complex in that it is often difficult to obtain good images with uniform illumination in the interior part of the mouth. Even with ring flashes, it is hard to illuminate the entire mouth cavity. Another factor of oral photography is the discomfort for patients who needed to have repeat pictures taken to track their progress. Developing the film was also an extra cost for the dentists.

The advances of digital photography have provided solutions to the problems of repetitive picture taking and poorly illuminated photos. The ability to immediately visualize the captured images ensures dentists get the right shots.

The price of the orthodontic photography equipment remained high, and it was necessary to use a ring flash and other accessories in addition to the camera.

Talask came up with the ASA Medical flash adapter to cut the cost of the equipment, making it more accessible to dentists and students. The adapter connects to compact digital cameras with a macro mode, and provides a diffused, soft, uniform light.

How it works

To use the ProDental-Kit, the ASA Medical flash adapter attaches to a mini-tripod supplied with the kit. The minitripod holds the accessory in place and serves as a handle to both the ASA Medical flash adapter and the digital camera. If the subject is between 5cm and 20cm from the camera lens, the macro mode is necessary and the flash should be on.

The diffusing filter in the ASA Medical flash adapter diminishes the intensity of the camera's electronic flash. It also spreads out the electronic flash light uniformly, preventing differences of illumination in the final picture. The adapter, a substitute for the traditional ring flash, can be sterilized for hygiene, which is impossible to do with traditional ring flashes.

The light eliminates awkward effects and reflections that compromise the result of the work. The ProDental-Kit complements the adapter for all the necessary accessories for inter- and intra-oral photography.

ProDental also features an adapter that does not require any modification of the original characteristics of the digital camera. Users simply remove the adapter from the digital camera they already own, so it's ready to take family or travel pictures.

Additional markets

Nascimento has presented the ProDental-Kit at universities and colleges, and thinks the trend from analog technology to digital has helped ProDental gain popularity. The advantages of the digital equipment include instant preview, light weight, and competitive cost when compared to similar dental photography devices.

The UniFOA--Volta Redonda University Center, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, acquired a ProDental-Kit to use in its orthodontic clinic workshops.

Having found a product that met the needs of the professionals of the medical and orthodontic segments, these same professionals recognize the importance of their product in the clinical and hospital area, where ProDental has found a niche and the ProDental-Kit provides a precise means of documentation and sometimes diagnoses. The electronic images can be immediately shared with other colleagues, who can give their opinion on the cases.

Retail Markets volume of PMA 2002-2003 Industry Trends Report now available

Photo Marketing Association International, Jackson, Mich., has published the second volume of the 2002-2003 PMA Industry Trends Report. The annual Retail Markets volume examines trends among specialty retail and mass retail outlets offering photographic services. The study is available to PMA members by contacting the PMA Membership Department or from the Marketing Research area of the website at www.pmai.org.

The information contained in the report was collected through a national industry trends survey directed to retail photographic firms, as well as from PMA consumer research. The report includes information on camera and film sales, photofinishing trends, the availability of digital imaging services at retail outlets, portrait sales, sales to commercial clients, and sales changes in the quick printing industry.

Among the key points are:

* Digital still camera sales continued to demonstrate strong growth, rising by 34 percent to 9.4 million units during 2002. An estimated 12.5 million units were sold during 2003.

* Conventional camera unit sales declined by 13 percent in 2002, to 14.2 million units, while dollar value fell by 16 percent to $1.1 billion. An estimated 12.1 million units were sold during 2003.

* As the prices of digital cameras drop, consumer purchasing is moving towards higher resolution models. During the first eight months of 2003, 65 percent of cameras sold featured 3 megapixels or more, compared to 35 percent during the year-earlier period.

* Consumer film processing in the United States declined by 3.3 percent during 2002, as rising usage of digital cameras cut into demand for film and processing. Film processing activity fell by an estimated 6.2 percent during 2003.

* Film sales (including one-time-use cameras) fell by 3.4 percent in 2002, with an 8.1 percent decrease estimated for 2003. Growth of one-time-use camera sales continued to be strong, however, rising by 8.8 percent during 2002, and by 7.1 percent during 2003.

* Fifty-three percent of specialty retailers operated digital minilabs in 2002, compared to only 19 percent in 2001. Twenty-nine percent planned to add a digital minilab during 2003.

* Sales at quick printing establishments declined by almost 10 percent during 2002, while the number of quick print outlets fell by 3.3 percent.

PMA will soon release the International Markets volume of the Industry Trends Report, which will highlight worldwide photo imaging trends and include coverage of countries in the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. The first volume of the report, Professional Markets, is currently available from the PMA Membership Department and on the PMA website.