Oral Health | Clinical and Risk Asessment | Appropriate imaging examination for a patient

Appropriate imaging examination for a patient
Session overview
Description
The dentist has several options when choosing a radiograph, and should recognise which radiograph is most appropriate for a given pathology. The dentist should also be aware of the typical radiation doses and risks associated with these options.

Learning objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• name the various images that are used in the field of dentistry and explain how they are produced
• list the appropriate images for clinical situations and when they would be employed in primary and secondary dental care
• describe the benefits to the patient of selecting the most appropriate images
• identify the contra-indications of using radiation in dental imaging, and explain the harm that may result from some of these images
• explain the current regulations pertaining to the use of ionising radiation in dental practice

When a dentist examines a patient, one of the commonest aids to diagnosis is a radiograph.

No patient should have a radiograph carried out or requested until they have been clinically examined. This allows for the best radiographic examination for the purpose to be chosen.

As any exposure to ionising radiation carries with it a risk - however small - every radiographic exposure has to be justified.

In this session, we will examine the imaging modalities that are available to the dentist. In addition, we will describe where each method is appropriate and highlight the benefits and contra-indications in the application of each method.