Effective dose and risk assessment from detailed narrow beam radiography

• Published in: Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology and endodontics oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology and endodontics, 1996-12, Vol.82 (6), p.713-719
• Main Authors: Avendanio, Bernard, Frederiksen, Neil L., Benson, Byron W., Sokolowski, Thaddeus W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Medical sciences; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology. Orbit; Periapical Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Phantoms, Imaging; Process Assessment (Health Care); Radiation Dosage; Radiodiagnosis. Nmr imagery. Nmr spectrometry; Radiography, Dental - methods; Reproducibility of Results; Risk Assessment; Rotation; Thermoluminescent Dosimetry
• ISSN: 1079-2104; 1528-395X
• DOI: 10.1016/S1079-2104(96)80448-3

Studies of the effectiveness of commonly used imaging techniques have shown that they are less than optimal in revealing oral disease. The diagnostic accuracy of detailed narrow beam radiography (scanography) has been reported to be significantly better than intraoral periapical radiography for the observation of periodontal pathoses and at least as good as periapical radiography for detecting periapical lesions. The purpose of this study was to calculate and compare the effective doses and risk estimates from the use of detailed narrow beam radiography and intraoral radiography. With the use of a tissue equivalent human phantom and thermoluminescent dosimetry, the effective dose from detailed narrow beam radiography was found to vary from 5 to 35 μSv depending on the anatomic location of the image layer and intraoral radiography from 9 to 150 μSv depending on the type of survey. Effective doses of these magnitudes represent 0.6 to 18.8 days of equivalent natural radiation exposure and a probability for stochastic effects on the order of 0.37 to 10.95×10 −6.