An Epidemiological Study for the Reduction of Population Dose : Radiation Exposure of Patients at a Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Dental school hospitals are expected to provide quality dental treatment while training dental students. This study examines the current status of radiographic examinations at teaching hospitals from the standpoint of radiation protection.
Detailed records of intraoral radiography conducted by undergraduate dental students have been collected over the past 8 years at the Department of Oral Radiology, Osaka Dental University. Of these records, those for the two-year period from 1985 to 1986 were selected for analysis of radiation exposure. Using a RANDO phantom, I estimated the mean X-ray dose per patient receiving intraoral radiography at this hospital.
The mean bone marrow dose per patient for whom intraoral radiography was performed by undergraduate dental students was 45.7μGy in 1985 and 42.4μGy in 1986. The effective dose was estimated at 52.1μGy in 1985 and 49.8μGy in 1986.