IMPROVING CLINICAL CASES PRESENTATIONS FOR AN AUDIENCE

Dr. Andrei Berdichewsky D.D.S. .

Endodontist Specialist www.endo.cl
When you are trying to show a medical condition or dental clinical treatment case, you
need to create a clinical presentation. To accomplish such task, you put a lot of effort
trying to make your clinical images as similar to (or mimics) the reality.
Some photographic camera adjustment you need to try are, the white balance, the
contrast, sharpness and brightness. Also with your file images in your computer, in some
cases you can work with the gamma, contrast and brightness.
After working many hours you finally have your perfect presentation, with the colors you
like and the images that best show the real colors and shapes of the medical or dental
situation.
Then when you arrive to your lecture, many times there was first another lecturer that
made many changes to the data projector to make his colors and size of his presentation
look good, and probably that projector has been changed many times during the months
or years to fit all the presenters’ needs, like:
-Change the size of the presentation projection to fit the last presentation requirements,
usually smaller that the projector size screen.
-Change the contrast and brightness to make some dark images brighter or vice versa.
-Change the trapezoidal image: When the projector image is tilted horizontal or vertical it
shows a trapezoidal image and it needs to be corrected.

So, for improving how your presentation is displayed you need to take these factors into
account:
1.Computer: Computer Video card and Digital computer output
Its important to have a good video card and the digital video output of your computer are
important. So, if I you have a good video card and use a computer HDMI digital video
output, the result must be good.

2. Powerpoint presentation ratio

The former standard was 4:3 (10 x 7,4 inches or 25,4 x 19 cms), and most Powerpoints
presentations are still created using this aspect ratio. Powerpoints presentations created
with the 4 x 3 aspect ratio projects fine—that is, nothing is lost on the screen; however,
they don't take advantage of the real estate that the screens in the lecture rooms offer.
 4:3 Image projected onto 16:9 screen

When a 4 x 3 image is projected onto a modern projector screen (16:9), there is empty
spaces at the sides of the image.

Creating or adapting a powerpoint to 16:9 widescreen (13,3 x 7.4 inches or 33,8 x 19 cm)
offers some benefits:

 it eliminates that empty space on the sides of the projected image

 it takes full advantage of the large screens Most likely your slides should be designed in
the 16:9 format since almost all modern projector screens, televisions, and computers
display in a 16:9 layout.
 it allows more elements on the screen OR
 it allows more "white space" for a less cluttered look
The Bad:
- Not all the screens you will lecture will have these wide screen, so when
you present there you will have a smaller presentation, even smaller that
4:3 format.
- To change a regular 4:3 presentation to a 16:9 format, will be slow, taking a
lot of time. There are some applications I tried for that task but mainly they
don’t work fine and you will have to work changing manually the size of
many images

3. TEST CARD SLIDE FOR POWERPOINT CALIBRATION

It’s an image you insert in a slide of your presentation using some visual parameters to
calibrate to make your presentation aspect and colors look the same as how it is projected
on you auditorium screen.

Benefits:
1
2
3
First slide to help calibrate pc and screen image projector
Full HD 1920 x 1080, 16:9 slide.

A. ASPECT RATIO:

If you see the circle as an oval, you must change the aspect ratio of your monitor
or video projector (from 4:3 to 16:9 or vice versa)

Image view on your computer screen Image proyected by the projector on the screen

The same image proyected and horizontally

distorted by the proyector

B. BRIGHTNESS-CONTRAST:
Adjust in order to distinguish all the shades of grayscale. In a computer monitor it's easy.
In TV monitors or video projectors, shades often confuse at both ends of the grayscale,
critical areas A-B and I-J.

Image view on your computer screen The same image proyected by the projector

Adjust it to appreciate all the changes in tone if its possible.

CROP EFFECT: The arrows at the edges of the testcard reach the real limit of the image. If
you can't see the whole arrow the screen is not showing the whole picture. Old TV's, some
flat screens and video projectors sometimes crop the edges. Look at the menu of your
device to see if there is any option to display the "under scan" image.

4. Projector
Resolution and Ratio
Most projectors these days are least XGA (1024 x 768) resolution, a 4:3 aspect
ratio format that has been the longtime staple for giving PowerPoint presentations.
For special applications, such as exhibiting photos, you will want higher resolution:
at least 1600 x 1200 (UXGA) for 4:3 or 1920 x 1200 for 16:10 (WUXGA).
My actual pc video resolution is 3.800 x 1.800 dpi, so usually it needs to be
downgraded because the projector have less resolution.
 Digital Projector Input
All new projectors have digital HDMI inputs that are the best way to receiving
digital HDMI signals. Older projectors still have digital DVI input that can be used with
HDMI with and adaptor.
Older projector don’t have digital input and only analog VGA input. In that cases
you will be asked to use a VGA analog output of your laptop to connect with a HDMI
adapter to the projector downgrading the quality of your presentation, even for pc or
mac.
I have seen in big health meetings that room computer technicians only gives the
possibility of using the HDMI-VHA adapter to connect to the projector, losing quality of all
your hard work presentation. Always try your presentation 1 day before, and ask the
meeting organization for digital cables.
Conclusion
As a conclusion, in medicine and dental presentations, several factors are necessary for
accomplishing the difficult task of showing the original and right colors and shapes of the
images, xrays and CBCT of your clinical case in a conference meeting. Many details have to
be observed to show every image in a clear and reliable way for the audience, following
every detail of the chain that will assure the best result in transmitting the right message.