Collective doses and risks from dental radiology in Great Britain

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Abstract
The continued expansion of dental radiology in Britain up to the end of 1981 was demonstrated, with a rate of increase much in excess of that seen for general medical radiography. Of the 7.8 .times. 106 dental X-ray examinations undertaken in 1981, .apprx. 6.7 .times. 106 were intra-oral, 1.5 .times. 105 were extra-oral and 9.1 .times. 105 were pantomographic. Weighted dose equivalents for typical examinations in each category were calculated using specific weighting factors for the important remainder organs. Values of 20, 30 and 80 .mu.Sv were obtained for intra-oral, extra-oral and pantomographic techniques, respectively, corresponding to risks of fatal malignancy of 0.33, 0.5 and 1.3/million. These estimated collective weighted dose equivalent of 212 man Sv to the population of Britain from the current level of dental radiology was predicted to result in no more than .apprx. 3 extra cases of fatal cancer when the age- and sex-related opportunity for manifestation of radiation-induced cancers was taken into account.