Dental x-rays may not reveal all cases of oral cancer, but they may be useful during an oral cancer screening test. Specifically, dental x-rays can show if there is any cancer in the jaw that has spread from another area of the mouth or originated in the jaw. During the dental exam, the dentist or hygienist will look for signs of oral cancer. The doctor will feel the area under the jaw, the sides of the neck, and the inside of the lips and cheeks, and will also examine the sides of the tongue and the palate and the floor of the mouth.
For those of you concerned, here's what you should know about the x-rays used in dental offices today and the steps you can take to stay free of oral cancer. Patients are certainly exposed to diagnostic dental x-rays, and dentists may also be exposed. It should also be noted that no study has examined the specific types of dental x-rays and the prevalence of thyroid cancer, which should be explored in subsequent studies. A study classified the types of dental diagnostic x-rays and examined correlations with low birth weight (LBW) and showed that only the types of panoramic exams had a statistically significant correlation with LBW.
There are several different types of x-rays that the dental team can use to examine various parts of the oral anatomy. For the literature review, this study examined twenty-one articles on dental diagnosis, X-ray exposure, and health effects. In 4 of the 5 thyroid-related studies, there was a significant correlation with dental diagnostic x-rays. The purpose of this review is to summarize the results of studies on the association between exposure to dental x-rays and health risk.
Therefore, through a systematic review of the literature, this study included several studies with different research designs and examined the health risks associated with exposure to dental diagnostic x-rays. In four of the five studies, there were significant correlations between diagnostic dental x-rays and thyroid cancer. Among the twenty-one articles that reported a correlation between dental diagnostic x-rays and overall health, eighteen articles evaluated the correlation with the head and neck areas. We tried to summarize the importance of test results based on the types of health results and the types of dental radiography.
Summary of studies on the association between dental x-ray exposure experience and thyroid cancer, tumors in the head and neck areas, and other health outcomes. A case report showed that thumb carcinoma occurred in an x-ray technician who had performed diagnostic dental radiographic exams for 15 years. In brain tumor studies, the association between dental x-ray exposure and meningioma was statistically significant in 5 of the 7 studies. However, we can identify trends in radiographic dental diagnostic studies through this systematic review of the literature.
