How necessary are Dental x-rays for children?
Dr. Paul Casamassimo, Professor in pediatric dentistry at Ohio State University, spoke with Dr. Chiraz Guessaier about the necessity of dental x-rays for children.
Resources
- ADA – FDA: Dental Radiographic Examinations: Recommendations for Patient Selection and Limiting Radiation Exposure
- American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry: Guideline on Prescribing Dental Radiographs for Infants, Children, Adolescents, and Persons with Special Health Care Needs
Highlights
The ADA, AAPD and FDA have set guidelines based on a comprehensive algorithm for dental radiographs based on age, risk factors and type of X-rays. The reason for this is that any radiation an individual receives is accumulated over time as his/her “radiation burden”. Current beliefs are that once a threshold level has been reached (different for all individuals), this can trigger the onset of certain diseases such as cancer. There is also the potential to damage developing fetuses and/or damage DNA. As such, the goal is to keep radiation levels as low as possible.
Dental radiography has changed over the years and the amount of radiation that a child receives is very low from X-rays and ultimately, the information from them is beneficial. Scientists and manufacturers are working hard to improve and minimize the radiation delivered while imaging. As an alternative for caries detection devices, such as those utilizing trans-illumination, are available to help visualize caries; however, the size of the devices as well as their sensitivity and specificity are not optimal.
The challenge of imaging in children is not limited to radiation exposure only. One should also consider the behaviour and cooperation of the child to assess whether the radiograph obtained will be of diagnostic value.