Lead Shielding for Dental X-Rays: A Thing of the Past?
On August 1, 2023, the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology published “Patient Shielding During Dentomaxillofacial Radiography” in the Journal of the Amerian Dental Association. The committee reviewed reports from many radiation protection organizations in regard to dental x-rays.
Here’s what they had to say:
“Considering the absence of radiation-induced heritable effects in humans and the negligible dose to the gonads and fetus from dentomaxillofacial imaging, the committee recommends discontinuing shielding of the gonads, pelvic structures, and fetuses during all dentomaxillofacial radiographic imaging procedures. On the basis of radiation doses from contemporaneous maxillofacial imaging, the committee considered that the risks from thyroid cancer are negligible and recommends that thyroid shielding not be used during intraoral, panoramic, cephalometric, and cone-beam computed tomographic imaging.”...
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Here’s what they had to say:
“Considering the absence of radiation-induced heritable effects in humans and the negligible dose to the gonads and fetus from dentomaxillofacial imaging, the committee recommends discontinuing shielding of the gonads, pelvic structures, and fetuses during all dentomaxillofacial radiographic imaging procedures. On the basis of radiation doses from contemporaneous maxillofacial imaging, the committee considered that the risks from thyroid cancer are negligible and recommends that thyroid shielding not be used during intraoral, panoramic, cephalometric, and cone-beam computed tomographic imaging.”...
Click Here to Read More