Dental x-ray
Dentists have used X-rays as a diagnostic tool for more than 100 years. Dr. C. Edmond Kells took the first dental X-ray of a living person in the United States in 1896. Dental X-rays reveal cavities, bone loss, unerupted teeth, masses and abnormalities that cannot be seen in a visual examination of the mouth and teeth. Still, concerns persist that dental X-rays may carry the risk of radiation exposure that can cause cancer.
X-Ray Effects
X-rays are electromagnetic radiation that passes through your body. Metal and bone are dense enough to show up as shadows on the X-ray film; however, once the radiation passes through you, it is gone. The high energy of some X-rays can damage some cells. In his 2007 article "X-ray Health Risks," Ron Kurtus, of Schools for Champions, states that most often the damaged cells just die prematurely. But, he notes, in rare instances, the cells do not die, and the genetic damage can result in the cells becoming cancerous. Some factors in the risk of acquiring cancer concern your genetic makeup and a history of cancer in your family.
X-Rays in Dentistry
The radiation exposure rate in dentistry has been substantially lowered over the years to reduce the amount of X-ray scatter. Faster film speed has further reduced the exposure time. With the use of a lead apron, the radiation from dental X-rays is confined to the mouth and exposure is limited to tenths of seconds for each picture. According to an article by Dr. Steve D. Rima on the website for the Physics Department at Idaho State University, the dosage of X-ray radiation received by a dental patient is typically small, less than you might get each year from living in a brick house or cooking with natural gas and about the same as the dose received during a cross-country airplane flight.
Considerations
A clinical examination of the mouth is not adequate for finding tooth decay, periodontal disease, infections or changes in bone density. Thus, radiographic evaluation has become a basic part of a comprehensive oral examination. The risk of cancer from exposure to X-rays must be weighed against the benefits. Dental professionals take precautions to minimize the risk of radiation exposure to the patient by using protective shields and by limiting the number of radiographic pictures taken.
While the risk to an unborn child is extremely small due to the precautions, localization of the X-ray and the low dose of radiation emitted, it is still wise to inform your dentist if you are pregnant. Then you and the doctor can consider if it is better to wait.
Exposure Levels
While large amounts of radiation have been associated with cancer, the small amount of radiation exposure that a patient receives from dental X-rays makes the risk level slight. According to Ron Kurtus in his "X-ray Health Risks" article, you could get 300 medical X-rays in a year and it would increase your chances of getting cancer by only 1 percent.
Conclusions
The risk of dental X-rays causing cancer is far smaller than smoking or sunbathing. Because of the advances in the field of radiology and the method of delivering X-rays, the diagnostic and life-saving potential of the procedure outweighs the risks. Indeed, some forms of radiation are used in the fight to eradicate cancerous cells. Overall, the consensus is that dental X-rays pose a very slight cancer risk that is overshadowed by the benefits.
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