Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the experience of South African general dental practitioners using Photo Stimulable Phosphor plates (PSP) or Charged Couple Devices (CCD) or Conventional Film.
Method: Questionnaires were sent to South African general dental practitioners requesting demographic data, information about the digital system used and the user friendliness of the x-ray detector system. In the analysis of the data these variables were related to the type of system used and also to the demographic data. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, variants-analysis and non-parametric tests.
Results: The handling of the different systems before exposing the radiographs is better for conventional film whereas the handling after exposing the radiograph favoured the digital x-ray detector system.
Conclusion: The user friendliness was best for the film pre-exposure and for the digital sensor post exposure.