UNDERSTANDING X-RAY DOSIMETRY by Dr. Sean K. Carlson
Dr. Sean Carlson and Dr. JC Quintero are former classmates. They received their orthodontic specialty training and Master’s of Science degree in Oral Biology from the University of California at San Francisco in 1998. They remain close friends and although both practice in opposite ends of the country, they share almost identical practice philosophy and technology. Dr. Carlson is currently an Associate Professor of Orthodontics at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry and maintains a private practice in Mill Valley, California.
We want to thank Dr. Carlson for allowing us to use these very informative podcasts.
These are Part I and II of a three part series on dental and orthodontic x-rays. Part I covers some basics of x-ray dosimetry as they relate to common dental and orthodontic diagnostic procedures. It also covers the current recommendations by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). To ensure patient protection, the risks associated with dental x-rays should be minimized by all practitioners. This Podcast describes the risk relationships between everyday background radiation exposure, radiation exposure of common events like air travel, and radiation exposure from dental and orthodontic x-ray imaging (including 3-D CBCT x-rays). Viewers will be relieved to learn that radiation exposure in the dental office is minimal when compared with the common things we do everyday.
Part II covers the risks of dental x-rays and how they relate to other day-to-day risks that we take. Emphasis is placed on the Health Physics literature and the quantification of risk. There are many ways of expressing quantified risk, but here we will use the loss of life expectancy (LLE). Viewers will be relieved to learn that many common risks that we consider negligible (drinking coffee, driving, riding a bike) are far greater risks than anything encountered in dental x-ray imaging. If fact, a single 3D Orthodontic X-ray (CBCT) is equal in risk to crossing the street 38 times.
