Then you may be wondering if dental x-rays are safe. The short answer is: “Yes, dental x-rays are safe and often extremely beneficial to oral health. The risk of a single dental x-ray is very small. However, some studies show a slight increase in the risk of cancer, even with low levels of radiation exposure, especially in children.
To be safe, we do everything we can to keep radiation exposure as low as possible. The purpose of this review is to summarize the results of studies on the association between exposure to dental x-rays and health risk. In particular, thyroid cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and the side effects of exposure to dental radiation are likely to contribute to its incidence because of the location of the thyroid gland. We tried to summarize the importance of test results based on the types of health results and the types of dental radiography.
All of these safety precautions will help minimize radiation levels that are already mild on dental x-rays. More studies are also needed to investigate the health effects of dental diagnostic x-rays on dentists, who may often be exposed to high levels of radiation exposure. Some studies that examined the health effects related to exposure to dental x-rays suggested a possible increase in the risk of meningioma and thyroid cancer. It's not uncommon for patients to try to avoid having dental x-rays out of fear of exposure to radiation.
But first, why are dental x-rays ordered in the first place? What common (and not so common) dental or orthodontic conditions warrant a dental x-ray? Articles were identified that reported a correlation between exposure to dental diagnostic x-rays and the general health of dentists. In addition, there is no need to delay dental x-rays if you are trying to get pregnant or if you are breastfeeding. If you are a new patient, dental x-rays may be requested to determine your oral health and have a reference point to identify changes that may occur later. One of these studies classified subjects by occupation and confirmed the correlation between dental practice and thyroid cancer.
