Radiation in Dentistry: Friend or Foe

Diagnostic radiation is a common and useful diagnostic tool in dentistry. However, few professionals realize the potential hazards and impact on the human tissues, when exposing their patients to ionizing radiation. The impression that, compared to general medical radiology, the radiation doses are substantially lower and therefore harmless, is a misconception among many dental professionals. Main reason for that is the number of dental radiographs an individual is exposed to during a lifetime which can be significantly higher than the number of radiographs one will receive for general medical purposes. The accumulative effect from low dose X-rays, as is the case in dentistry, should therefore not be ignored. The so-called linear non threshold dose model explains the risk for stochastic effects from ionizing radiation, even in the low energy range.