In the ongoing debate over the safety of a vital diagnostic tool - dental X-ray – the favourable arguments seem to have outweighed the opposing ones, as the research so far done on the subject shows that if used properly the procedure causes no considerable harm to the patient.
Whether it’s a mother taking her child for a routine dental checkup and prescribed an x-ray or attendants accompanying an elderly patient showing concern over or simply refusing the procedure, there has always been some reservations that need to be allayed.
Dental X-rays prove to be an essential diagnostic tool that your dentist may prescribe for an accurate assessment of the patient’s oral health.
People who suffer from certain oral diseases affecting their teeth, gums, or oral infections may be exposed to X-rays more frequently than others.
The procedure helps diagnose unseen dental problems that may become a larger threat with time, such as decay between the teeth, changes in a root canal, bone loss, tumors or growths, and infections between the tooth and gums.
Majority of experts consider dental X-rays extremely safe. The main concern in this regard is over exposure to radiation, but they say that if performed properly dental X-rays give off very light levels of radiation.
They argue that a dental X-ray exposes the patient to 0.1mrem radiation (bitewing 0.4mrem), which is much lower if compared to the radiation emitted by common sources around us, such as natural radiation from soil (35mrem), smoking cigarettes (1,300mrem), transcontinental flight (2-4mrem), drinking water (5mrem/year) and natural gas used for heating and cooking, which is 9mrem per year.
Dental x-rays are usually avoided for pregnant females as they may affect the developing fetus and certain studies show a slight increase in the risks of cancer in children due to rapidly growing and dividing cells. Hence, certain measures are taken to protect against radiation exposure, such as using a lead apron covering the trunk of the body or thyroid collar that shields the thyroid, while conducting the procedure.
NRC guidelines state that adults can safely be exposed to 5,000 millirems of radiation a year. Children can safely be exposed to 500 millirems of radiation each year. Over time, individuals should not be exposed to more than 1,000 millirems of radiation (so a 60-year-old person could have safely been exposed to 60,000 millirems over the course of life). Dental X-rays fall well below this acceptable limit.
Hence the benefit of dental x-rays outweighs the risks associated with them.
