Abstract
A
handheld portable dental intraoral x-ray system is available in the
United States and elsewhere. The system is designed to minimize the
user's radiation dose. It includes specially designed shielding of the
x-ray tube housing and an integral radiation shield to minimize
backscatter. Personnel radiation dose records were obtained from 18
dental facilities using both the handheld system and a wall mounted
dental x-ray system, providing 661 individual dose measurements. Dental
staff doses were also compared for the handheld and conventional systems
using both film and digital imaging for the same facilities and staff
members. The results indicate that the doses for the handheld systems
are significantly less than for wall-mounted systems. The average
monthly dose for the handheld systems was 0.28 μSv vs. 7.86 μSv (deep
dose equivalent) for the wall-mounted systems, a difference that is
statistically significant at the p = 0.01 level. Consequently, there
should be no concern about the use of this handheld dental intraoral
x-ray system. Additional shielding efforts, (e.g., wearing a lead apron)
will not provide significant benefit nor reduce staff radiation dose.
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