Skip to Main Content

Dentistry: Dental Radiology

Dental Radiographs in Practice

Dentists use X-rays to help diagnose damage and disease that is not visible during a regular dental examination. How often X-rays, or radiographs, should be taken depends on specific factors such as an individual’s current oral health, age, risk for disease and any signs or symptoms of oral disease. This means that there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to the interval between dental X-rays. The “ALARA” principle, a phrase developed in the 1970s by the International Commission on Radiologic Protection that stands for “As Low as Reasonably Achievable,” means taking precautions to help ensure that:

  • All X-ray exposures are justified in relation to their benefits.
  • Necessary exposures are kept as low as reasonably achievable (i.e., ALARA).
  • The doses received by patients and personnel are kept well below the allowable limits.

The ADA encourages dentists and patients to discuss dental treatment recommendations, including the need for X-rays, in order to make informed decisions together. Additionally, an expert panel convened by the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs developed evidence-based clinical recommendations on radiation protection and regulatory considerations in dental imaging.

Source: ADA

Dental Radiology Organizations

 

Organization:

About:

  • The AAOMR will be the recognized leader in oral and maxillofacial radiology (OMR), serving patients and health professionals.
  • Welcome to the American Association Of Dental Radiographic Technicians (AADMRT) website. The AADMRT is an association of dental radiographic professionals that represent the challenge of advancing in the field of dentomaxillofacial radiography and promotes development of the profession.
  • The International Association of DentoMaxilloFacial Radiology (IADMFR) was founded on August 16, 1968, and the First International Congress of DentoMaxilloFacial Radiology held in Santiago, Chile. The IADMFR has, since then, undertaken the challenge of representation and developing DentoMaxilloFacial Radiology at the International level.

Other Radiology Resources

Dental Radiology Journals

Dental Radiology Books

University of Florida Home Page

This page uses Google Analytics - (Google Privacy Policy)

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.