Survey on the Status of Protective Measures in Dental Radiography

Abstract

This study deals with dental radiography and it covers the main dental department in Khartoum state. The survey study covered the main variables concerning physical characteristics of the x-ray equipment which focuses on mechanical and electrical stability, dark room integrity including processing chemistry, film speed, film processing and viewing conditions. X-ray beam parameters in terms of tube voltage, exposure time accuracy are tested in order to measure the x-ray tube performance in term of radiation output A designated questionnaire is distributed to dental practitioners who are physically running x-ray clinic and to x-ray technologists. It includes the selection criteria, the type of processing, reject analysis etc... The survey revealed that, there is no adherence to quality assurance cycle i.e. critical examination, acceptance testing procedures for the newly installed x-ray equipment, and routine performance testing. In addition there is neither quality assurance program, nor local rules. There is also a lack of agreed radiographic selection criteria to guide Sudanese dentists and this may lead to overuse of certain technique, principally panoramic radiography. The research reveals as well the enormous variations in patient dose for the same procedure. Dose for a given examination vary between clinics by a factor of 5. Much of this variation resulted from inadequate equipment or techniques. Such serious problem can be identified and resolved through an ambitious program of education, quality assurance and strict monitoring framework. Many factors can influence the dose required to produce a good quality image. These factors include: In intra-oral radiography, the use of fast (E-speed) film and rectangular collimation (instead of rounded collimator) offer dose reduction of approximately 50% and 60%, respectively. Constant potential X-ray unit and rare-earth filtration permit further reductions. In panoramic and cephalometric, improved collimation offers a simple means of dose limitation, while doses can be reduced by up to one-eighth by combining the use of constant potential X-ray units, rare-earth intensifying screens and rare-earth filtration