AWARENESS, ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOR OF SAUDI DENTAL STUDENTS TOWARDS RADIATION SAFETY AND PROTECTION

Approximately 96% of radiation exposure comes from several forms of medical imaging, mostly X-ray radiation, of which less than 1% is from dental imaging [1,2]. Since dental imaging imparts minimal doses of radiation compared to medical imaging, especially computed tomography [1], this lower dosage...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of medical dentistry 2020-10, Vol.24 (4), p.491-496
Main Author: Aldosimani, Mazen A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitudes
Computed tomography
Dental schools
Dentistry
Dentists
Dosage
Education
Knowledge
Medical imaging
Patients
Questionnaires
Radiation
Safety
Sensors
Students
Variance analysis
X-rays
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Summary:Approximately 96% of radiation exposure comes from several forms of medical imaging, mostly X-ray radiation, of which less than 1% is from dental imaging [1,2]. Since dental imaging imparts minimal doses of radiation compared to medical imaging, especially computed tomography [1], this lower dosage could lead dentists and dental students to underestimate the significance of radiation safety and protection. [...]the International Commission of Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommends that all radiographic examinations be justified and follow the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle [3], where the risks to radiation exposure are weighed against the benefits, requiring health care providers who only expose patients to radiation when a definite diagnostic or therapeutic goal can be achieved. The aim of the current study was to assess 2nd- through 5th-year Saudi dental students' knowledge of and attitudes about radiation safety and protection. 2.MATERIALS AND METHODS An electronic questionnaire was distributed among dental students at the College of Dentistry, "King Saud" University, using the online service SurveyMonkey. Since the Oral Radiology course is given in the 2nd year of dental education, students from the 2nd-5th years were included in this study, conducted during the second semester, from December 2019 to March 2020; at this time, students in the 2nd year had already been taught, trained, and examined on radiation safety and protection. [...]the fact that X-rays may cause harm even in the lowest doses, following the linear no-threshold model [4], shows that the topic should be well understood by all students in the dental field, and it should be repeated and stressed all throughout their dental education, and not only in the first years.
ISSN:2066-6063
2392-8018