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Radiation exposure in dental radiology: a 1998 nationwide survey in Switzerland

¹ Institut Universitaire de Radiophysique Appliquée, Lausanne, Switzerland; ² Zahnmedizinische Kliniken der Universität Bern, Switzerland; ³ Policlinique Dentaire Universitaire, Lausanne, Switzerland; ⁴ Institut Universitaire de Médecine Sociale et Préventive, Lausanne, Switzerland

*Correspondance to: Abbas Aroua, Institut Universitaire de Radiophysique Appliquée, Grand-Pré 1, 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland; Email: abbas{at}aroua.com

Received 6 October 2003; revised 4 May 2004; accepted 22 May 2004

Objectives: To measure the frequencies of dental radiological examinations in Switzerland and to determine the associated collective radiation doses.

Methods: To evaluate the frequencies, a sample of 376 dental practitioners and other institutions performing dental radiology were requested to fill in questionnaires designed to measure, amongst others, frequencies of dental radiodiagnoses according to type of examination, patient age and gender, dental specialty and type of surgery. The associated collective radiation doses were determined by multiplying the relevant frequencies with dose estimates obtained from recent measurements and calculations.

Results: The total number of dental examinations performed in Switzerland in 1998 was 4.1 million (581 per 1000 population). Periapical, bitewing and panoramic radiographs were the most frequent types of dental examinations. The collective dose associated with dental radiology was 71 person.Sv. This amounts to an annual average effective dose to the population of 10 µSv per caput, which is in agreement with the figures reported for countries of similar healthcare level. Various features such as the age distribution of the radiographed patients, the forms of collimators used, film consumption and the use of digital imaging systems are presented.

Conclusions: Several recommendations for dose reduction are made. These include the re-evaluation of the patterns and justification for prescribing some particular types of dental examinations as well as the avoidance of unnecessary irradiation by the use of rectangular collimation and high sensitivity F-speed films.

Keywords: dental radiology; radiation exposure; dose to patient

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