The Dental Equipment Advisor

How do everyday background (natural), dental equipment, and medical equipment radiation levels compare?

First, it is important to remember tha

~ X-rays are an established and essential part of every dental practice.

~ A CBCT scan provides dentists with views that were previously unavailable other than through medical CT.

~ CBCT offers views of patient anatomy in three dimensions, without the magnification, distortion, and superimposition.

~ The precision of CBCT scans assists in precise diagnosis and treatment plans with the goal of better clinical outcomes.

~ The effective dose from a standard CBCT scan is at least 10 times less radiation than that from a medical CT of the skull used for dental purposes.

It is also important to note that clinicians make the decision on when a case warrants a CBCT scan and on what settings to use for the specific patient’s needs, based on their clinical expertise and ALARA principles.

CBCT technology exposes patients to a lower radiation dose than a number of other imaging modalities and far less than medical CT. The following tables provide dose comparisons for natural and medical radiation exposures.

dental equipment radiation guide for CBCT