OBJECTIVES: To assess the influence of new European Union (EU) legislation on dental radiology practices and the reduction in patient radiation exposure. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 7176 official reports from Spanish dental offices or clinics covering the period 1996 to 2001 were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the dental radiological installations inspected in 2001, 72.79% used the kilovoltage recommended by the EU (70 kVp) and 98.85% used at least 1.5 mm Al filtration. At least 90.11% of the installations had a focal film distance of 20 cm although there were no cases with a rectangular collimator as adapted to the size of film. Thirty percent of the installations showed a mechanical fault every year. In 17.62% of cases the radiological film was stored in the exposure room. Few clinics (10.24%) used high-speed films and only 11.95% of clinics employed digital systems. The mean dose received by patients fell during the 5 years studied by 18.75%. Radiological equipment fulfilling the EU specifications emitted significantly lower doses than other nonapproved equipment. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of legislation has resulted in a gradual improvement in dental radiology practices.
OBJECTIVES: To assess the influence of new European Union (EU) legislation on dental radiology practices and the reduction in patient radiation exposure. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 7176 official reports from Spanish dental offices or clinics covering the period 1996 to 2001 were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the dental radiological installations inspected in 2001, 72.79% used the kilovoltage recommended by the EU (70 kVp) and 98.85% used at least 1.5 mm Al filtration. At least 90.11% of the installations had a focal film distance of 20 cm although there were no cases with a rectangular collimator as adapted to the size of film. Thirty percent of the installations showed a mechanical fault every year. In 17.62% of cases the radiological film was stored in the exposure room. Few clinics (10.24%) used high-speed films and only 11.95% of clinics employed digital systems. The mean dose received by patients fell during the 5 years studied by 18.75%. Radiological equipment fulfilling the EU specifications emitted significantly lower doses than other nonapproved equipment. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of legislation has resulted in a gradual improvement in dental radiology practices.
Authors: M Alcaraz; E Velasco; Y Martínez-Beneyto; F Velasco; D Armero; C Parra; M Canteras Journal: Dentomaxillofac Radiol Date: 2010-12 Impact factor: 2.419
Authors: M Alcaraz; D Armero; Y Martínez-Beneyto; J Castillo; O Benavente-García; H Fernandez; M Alcaraz-Saura; M Canteras Journal: Dentomaxillofac Radiol Date: 2011-07 Impact factor: 2.419