Estimation of Entrance Surface of X-Ray Dose during Dental Examination

Radiographic examinations play an essential part of dental practice. Because a certain amount of radiation is inevitably delivered to patients, it should be as low as reasonably achievable. The purposes of this study are to measure the dose in dental radiography, and measure the dose into the lens and thyroid during dental radiography exams. Then evaluate the risk for dental radiation examination induced cancer. This work was carried out in four major hospitals in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. Entrance surface dose (ESD) was determined from exposure settings using ESD equation. Totally, 155 patients were included in this study. Mean ESDs obtained was 2.87 mGy. Using a 70 kV to 73 kV voltages for all hospitals, the following results were obtained: the mean radiation dose was 0.33 mGy in the lens which is higher than the other studies, while 0.121 mGy in the thyroid is lower than them. The risks associated with dental examination for patients are negligible. The results of this study provide baseline data to establish reference dose levels for dental examination in very young patients. After analyzing the results, it was concluded that radiation exposure conditions that patients are subjected to dental radiographic procedures should be observed with great accuracy, as the risk of possible biological effect can be reduced if optimum technical parameter are used.

Author(s): Hanaa M.B. Ahmed

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