I understand that panoramic dental x rays give a very small dose of radiation to the patient. Does the x-ray machine have a predetermined amount of radiation for this type of x ray or does the technician dial in the desired level of radiation? Can a distracted technician accidentally give an inadequate (too little or too much) dose of radiation?
The panoramic x-ray units used today have a predetermined amount of radiation per the patient protocols that are established by manufacturers and subject to strict dosimetry studies.
The standards are based on whether a patient is a child, small adult, medium adult, or large adult. These predetermined parameters decrease the likelihood of accidental errors in exposing patients to too much or too little radiation dose during the radiographic examination. The average dose from a panoramic unit is quite low, as you have stated, and is approximately equal to the dose that one receives just being alive on the earth for a day and a half (Ludlow 2008). Therefore, it would be extremely difficult (if not impossible) for a distracted technician to grossly over- or under-expose a patient to ionizing radiation.
Heidi Kohltfarber, DDS, MS, PhD
Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiography
Reference
Ludlow JB, Davies-Ludlow LE, White SC. Patient risk related to common dental radiographic examinations. J Am Dent Assoc 139:1237–1240; 2008.
Answer posted on 6 July 2018. The information posted on this web page is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may affect the applicability of concepts, materials, and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice. To the best of our knowledge, answers are correct at the time they are posted. Be advised that over time, requirements could change, new data could be made available, and Internet links could change, affecting the correctness of the answers. Answers are the professional opinions of the expert responding to each question; they do not necessarily represent the position of the Health Physics Society.