Getting a dental X-ray? New guidance says you don’t need to wear apron
Those heavy lead aprons may be on their way out at the dentist office, depending on where you live.
The nation’s largest dental association recently said it will no longer recommend the use of lead aprons and thyroid collars on patients who are getting dental X-rays.
There are two main reasons for the change. X-ray beams are now more focused, so there is less concern about radiation hitting other parts of the body.
Also, the aprons and collars can sometimes block dentists from getting the images they need.
The best thing to lower radiation exposure is to make sure the patient needs the X-ray and to do it right the first time, said Dr. Purnima Kumar, who chairs the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs, which released the recommendation.
Dental X-rays use a relatively small amount of radiation to begin with, she said.
“It’s like taking a flight from, let’s say, from Michigan to San Francisco, it gives you the equivalent of one dental X-ray,” Kumar said.
Sanjay Mallya, a radiologist and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, said there is “no hard science” that the aprons are needed.
The most recent guidance is also backed by medical physicists with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Mallya said X-rays may cause patients and dentists to be complacent about the things that should be done to prevent unnecessary radiation exposure — such as verifying that an X-ray is necessary and using digital X-rays instead of film ones because they use less radiation.