Radiation and Safety
Whenever the topic of x-rays arises, a common concern that often comes to mind is radiation. But have you ever wondered just how harmful x-ray radiation really is?
In truth, adverse effects from radiation dose absorbed in diagnostic practice are rare.
For example, the amount of radiation from dental x-rays is extremely small compared to daily normal radiation exposures. Clinicians (dentists included) are trained to apply the principal of ALARA - As Low As Reasonably Achievable in all instances of radiography use. As medical providers, dentists are conscious of patient safety and would aim to obtain the clearest anatomical information without exposing their patient with high radiation dose.
A measure of the risk of biological harm is the dose of radiation that the tissues receive. The unit of absorbed radiation dose is the sievert (Sv). Since one (1) sievert is a large quantity, radiation doses normally encountered are expressed in millisievert (mSv) or microsievert (µSv) which are one-thousandth or one millionth of a sievert.
For example, one chest X-ray will give about 0.2 mSv of radiation dose.
Four bitewing X-rays, which is what many people get in a routine exam, give about .005 millisieverts of radiation, according to the American College of Radiology. That's about the same amount of radiation you get in a normal day from the sun and other sources. A panoramic dental X-ray, which goes around your head, has about twice that amount of radiation.
In the past decade digital radiography has supplanted screen-film radiography in many radiology fields and going digital allows clinicians to reduce the amount of radiation while still achieving good quality images for accurate analysis and treatment planning.
If you are concerned about radiation, seek dental clinics that utilise digital X-rays versus conventional films. Your risk from radiation exposure are even lower if digital X-rays are used. You may use our dental locator to find a suitable dentist near you.
Digital x-ray technology is becoming a standard feature, especially in the medical field, where it has become one of the most powerful diagnostic and imaging tools for examining patients. Rest assured that the doses from intraoral and cephalometric dental radiological procedures are lower, usually less than one day of natural background radiation.
DISCLAIMER:
The information above should be used as a reference only. Any medical decision should not be taken before consulting a health care professional.
The masculine gender may have been more used in the article, but without prejudice, to make reading easier.