Why are there concerns about dental radiation dose?
A single bitewing image results in a patient entrance dose of about 200 mrad* while a full mouth survey with 20 images will result in a entrance dose of 4,000 mrad, or 4 rad, similar to a CT head scan. If four bitewings are taken annually from age 10 to age 70, the patient receives a lifetime entrance dose of 48 rad, a significant radiation dose. *The entrance dose for a chest x-ray is about 15 mrad and for head CT is about 5,000 mrad (5 rad).
