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Caution needed with dental x-raying

there’s no such thing as a completely safe exposure, and radiation is cumulative over your lifetime. Children are particularly vulnerable, 

Are dental X-rays dangerous?, CNN Health, By Elizabeth Cohen, Senior Medical Correspondent, September 15, 2011 “……..Worries about children, thyroid cancer  Like many medical procedures, dental X-rays have an upside and a downside. The upside is that an X-ray allows your dentist to see bones, tissue, and hidden surfaces of your teeth that he or she can’t see with the naked eye.

The downside is that X-rays expose you to radiation. Four bitewing X-rays, which is what many people get in a routine exam, give about .005 millisieverts of radiation, according to the American College of Radiology. That’s about the same amount of radiation you get in a normal day from the sun and other sources. A panoramic dental X-ray, which goes around your head, has about twice that amount of radiation.

While those are small amounts of radiation, there’s no such thing as a completely safe exposure, and radiation is cumulative over your lifetime. Children are particularly vulnerable, since they’re small and their cells are dividing rapidly. The thyroid gland, which gets zapped in a dental X-ray unless it’s shielded, is also quite vulnerable to radiation.

“My brother-in-law is a radiologist, and he’s told me that radiation is radiation, and if it’s not necessary, don’t do it,” O’Brien says.

Many dentists not following guidelines, The question, of course, is what’s necessary? According toguidelines written by the American Dental Association and the Food and Drug Administration, dentists should evaluate each patient. Some people with a lot of problems or who are at high risk for cavities may need frequent X-rays.

But for patients who are not having problems, the need is less frequent. The guidelines say children who are not at a high risk for cavities should get X-rays once every one to two years; teens who are not at high risk should get them every year and a half to three years; and adults who aren’t at high risk should get them every two to three years….

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/15/health/living-well/dental-x-rays/?hpt=he_c1

September 16, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, health