Can I take measures to promote a good radiation protection practice in dentistry?
The short answer is YES. Avoiding unnecessary dental X ray procedures is the most effective way to reduce dose in dental radiology. There must be a clear clinical benefit to each patient undergoing an X ray procedure. Routine dental X ray examination for all patients is not justified. For more details on referral criteria please see [EC-RP 136]. In addition, the patient dose for each X ray examination should be optimized so that it is As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) and consistent with producing the required image quality. It is important that the equipment is subject to formal acceptance testing, routine quality control, undergoes proper maintenance, and has all standard dose reduction features.
