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A reliable positioning device for dorsoventral cephalometric radiography of the rat

Abstract

In dental research, dorsoventral cephalometric radiography is often used to assess skull growth and dental movement in rat models. To ensure that images can be reproduced, radiographers must use a cephalostat to maintain the rat's head in a consistent position across imaging sessions. The authors describe a positioning device they designed that connects easily to a standard dental X-ray machine. The device enabled researchers to position rats repeatedly for radiographic imaging with very little variation.

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Figure 1: The positioning device.
Figure 2: Positioning of the rat in the cephalostat.
Figure 3: Radiograph and image processing.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by FAPEMIG (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais) and by Rede Mineira de Bioterismo (grant number REDE2824/05). R.S.M.F.O. was supported by FAPEMIG.

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Correspondence to Roberto Sotto-Maior Fortes de Oliveira.

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de Oliveira, RM., de Oliveira Guerra, M., Peters, V. et al. A reliable positioning device for dorsoventral cephalometric radiography of the rat. Lab Anim 37, 127–131 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0308-127

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