Image Gently, Image Wisely Trying to Minimize Radiation Risks

The Image Gently ® and Image Wisely ® campaigns are important movements that advocate for the safety of children and adults, respectively, with respect to radiation exposure. The goals of these 2 campaigns are to develop protocols to maximize the diagnostic yield while minimizing radiation dose. It is important to look at cone-beam CT (CBCT) with respect to radiation safety, The exposure from a single CBCT, both small and large volumes, is within the normal imaging practices of dentistry. However, these create more exposure to the patient than a routine periapical or bitewing radiograph. The radiation exposure associated with a CBCT image is probably more comparable to that of panoramic images. CBCT exposures are often reported as fractions or multiples of panoramic exposure because, in dentistry, this is something with which we are familiar. For example, a small-volume CBCT may be associated with less radiation exposure than is a single panoramic image. However, the radiation dose o more...