METHODS FOR MONITORING PATIENT DOSEIN DENTAL RADIOLOGY

Different types of X-ray equipment are used in dental radiology, such as intra-oral, panoramic, cephalometric, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) units. Digital receptors have replaced film and screen-film systems and other technical developments have been made. The radiation doses arising from different types of examination are sparsely documented and often expressed in different radiation quantities. In order to allow the comparison of radiation doses using conventional techniques, i.e. intra-oral, panoramic and cephalometric units, with those obtained using, CBCT or MSCT techniques, the same units of dose must be used. Dose determination should be straightforward and reproducible, and data should be stored for each image and clinical examination. It is suggested here that air kerma-area product (PKA) values be used to monitor the radiation doses used in all types of dental examinations including CBCT and MSCT. However, for the CBCT and MSCT techniques, the estimation of dose must be more thoroughly investigated. The values recorded can be used to determine diagnostic standard doses and to set diagnostic reference levels for each type of clinical examination and equipment used. It should also be possible to use these values for the estimation and documentation of organ or effective doses. This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Radiation Protection Dosimetry following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version: Ebba Helmrot and Anne Thilander Klang, METHODS FOR MONITORING PATIENT DOSEIN DENTAL RADIOLOGY, 2010, Radiation Protection Dosimetry, (139), 1-3, 303-305.is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncq095Copyright: Oxford University Presshttp://www.oxfordjournals.org