INTRA-ORAL CAMERA COUPLED DIRECTLY AND INDEPENDENTLY TO A COMPUTER

An intra-oral dental camera is provided having a digital output which communicates directly with a computer. A handpiece is included which has a plurality of LEDs to illuminate a subject, an image sensor that generates an analog signal representing an intra-oral video image, an analog-to-digital converter that converts the analog signal into a digital signal, and a video compression circuit that compresses compressing the digital signal. A cable is connected to the handpiece that receives the compressed digital signal from the handpiece, provides the compressed digital signal to a digital port on an image processing unit and provides power from the image processing unit to the handpiece to drive the LEDs.