Radiographic examinations are typically delegated to qualified (as mandated by state law) auxiliary personnel; dental assistants and dental hygienists. Qualified dental radiation workers are to comply with annual occupational whole-body radiation dose limits (Table 8). Occupational radiation dosimeters should be utilized by radiation workers who may receive an annual dose greater than 1 mSv and pregnant personnel operating x-ray equipment regardless of anticipated occupational exposure.1,29
Occupational Whole-Body Dose Limits | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type | International Units | Traditional Units | |||
Annual | 50 mSv | 5 rems | |||
Embryo-fetus (term) | 50 mSv | 5 rems | |||
Embryo-fetus (term) | 5 mSv | 0.5 rems |
Other methods to limit occupational exposure are listed in Table 9. Dental personnel should stand behind a protective barrier that permits observation of the patient during exposure. If a barrier is not present, the clinician should stand at a 6 feet/2 meters distance from the x-ray source and at a position greater than a right angle (90-135° angle) to the primary beam. If a handheld x-ray unit is used for intraoral imaging, the device must be used according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. The parameters of usage include:1
Your session is about to expire. Do you want to continue logged in?
WARNING! You did not finish creating your certificate. Please click CONTINUE below to return to your previous page to complete the process. Failure to complete ALL the steps will result in a loss of this test score, and you will not receive credit for this course.