Evaluation of color accuracy and image quality of smartphone cameras compared to digital single-lens reflex cameras for dental photography

Abstract

Objective. This cross-sectional study compared the color accuracy and image quality of intraoral photographs taken with DSLR cameras, smartphones, and smartphones with auxiliary lighting. Methods. Forty participants had five images captured per device, yielding 600 images. Image quality was evaluated using Blind/Referenceless Image Spatial Quality Evaluator (BRISQUE) via No-Reference Matrix (NRM), while experts provided qualitative evaluations. Results. Smartphones achieved the highest average NRM score (53.14 ± 28.2), followed by smartphones with auxiliary lighting (47.62 ± 1.9) and DSLR cameras (45.32 ± 2.2), with no significant difference between DSLR cameras and smartphones with auxiliary lighting (p = 0.34). Color accuracy (ΔE) was closest between DSLR cameras and smartphones with auxiliary lighting (4.89 ± 2.47), while other pairs showed higher differences. These two also showed comparable color consistency (p = 0.63 and 0.57 for a; b values), although smartphones produced brighter images (L = 50.56 ± 4.82 vs. 31.84 ± 4.82). Experts preferred DSLR images for caries diagnosis and presentation (96.7% preference), but found smartphone images with auxiliary lighting clinically acceptable. Conclusion. While DSLR cameras delivered superior image quality, smartphones with auxiliary lighting demonstrated comparable diagnostic performance as a practical, low-cost alternative in resource-limited settings. Further validation with newer devices is recommended.