You May Not Need a Lead Apron for a Dental X-ray, a New Recommendation Says

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 said Thursday 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. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] 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. Read More: Robots Created to Help Patients in Hospitals Pass Testing Phase 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. The association’s recommendation is just that. True change depends on state dental boards, dentists and patients, Kumar said. For example, California state rules require dentists to use the aprons. Read More: AI Learns to Speak Like a Baby Sanjay Mallya, a radiologist and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Source Type: news