Comparison of changes in dental and bone radiographic densities in the presence of different soft-tissue simulators using pixel intensity and digital subtraction analyses.

Objectives: To evaluate the influence of soft-tissue simulation materials on dental and bone tissue radiographic densities using pixel intensity (PI) and digital subtraction radiography (DSR) analyses.

Methods: 15 dry human mandibles were divided into halves. Each half was radiographed using a charge-coupled device sensor without a soft-tissue simulation material (Wm) and with 5 types of materials: acrylic (Ac), wax (Wx), water (Wt), wood (Wd) and frozen bovine tissue (Bt).