Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists CHAPTER Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson NINTH EDITION Radiation Protection 6

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Objectives Define the key words. Adopt the ALARA concept. Use the selection criteria guidelines to explain the need for prescribed radiographs. Explain the roles communication, working knowledge of quality radiographs, and education play in preventing unnecessary radiation exposure.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Objectives Explain the roles technique and exposure choices play in preventing unnecessary radiation exposure. Explain the function of the filter. State the filtration requirements for an intraoral dental x-ray unit that operates above and below 70 kVp.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Objectives Compare inherent, added, and total filtration. State the federally mandated diameter of the intraoral dental x-ray beam at the patient’s skin. Explain the difference between round and rectangular collimation. List the two functions of a collimator.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Objectives Explain how PID shape and length contribute to reducing patient radiation exposure. Identify film speeds currently available for dental radiography use. Explain the role image receptor holders play in reducing patient radiation exposure.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Objectives Advocate the use of the lead/lead equivalent thyroid collar and apron. Explain the role darkroom protocol and film handling play in reducing patient radiation exposure. Summarize the radiation protection methods for the patient.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Objectives Explain the roles time, shielding, and distance play in protecting the radiographer from unnecessary radiation exposure. Utilize distance and location to take a position the appropriate distance and angle from the x-ray source at the patient’s head during an exposure.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Objectives Describe monitoring devices used to detect radiation. Summarize the radiation protection methods for the radiographer.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Objectives List the organizations responsible for recommending and setting exposure limits. State the maximum permissible dose (MPD) for radiation workers and for the general public.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Key Words Added filtration ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) Aluminum equivalent Area monitoring Collimation

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Key Words DIS (direct ion storage) monitor Dosimeter Exposure factors Film badge Film/image receptor holder Filter

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Key Words Filtration Half-value layer Inherent filtration Lead apron Lead equivalent MPD (maximum permissible dose) Monitoring

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Key Words OSL (optically stimulated luminescence) monitor Personnel monitoring Personnel monitoring device

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Key Words PID (position indicating device)/BID (beam indicating device) Primary beam Protective barrier Radiation leakage Radiation workers

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Key Words Retake radiographs Scatter (secondary) radiation Selection criteria Structural shielding Thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) Thyroid collar Total filtratio

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Introduction Although it is the consensus of radiobiologists that the dose received from a dental x-ray exposure is not likely to be harmful, even the experts do not know what risk a small dose carries.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Introduction The patient has agreed to be subjected to the risks of radiation exposure because he/she believes that the oral health care practitioner will follow safety protocols that protect the patient from excess exposure.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Introduction In this chapter, we discuss radiation safety protocols, including selection criteria used in prescribing dental radiographs and methods to minimize x-ray exposure to both the dental patient and the radiographer.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson ALARA “As Low As Reasonably Achievable”

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Protection Measures for the Patient Professional judgment Technical ability of the operator Technique standards Equipment standards Optimum film processing

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Protection Measures for the Patient Professional Judgment –Use evidence-based selection criteria when determining which patients need radiographs. –Guidelines adopted by the American Dental Association that assist in deciding when, what type, and how many radiographs should be taken are shown in Table 6-1.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Table 6-1 Guidelines for Prescribing Dental Radiographs

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Table 6-1 Guidelines for Prescribing Dental Radiographs

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Table 6-1 Guidelines for Prescribing Dental Radiographs

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Protection Measures for the Patient Technical Ability of the Operator –Communication — clear instructions; patient cooperation –Working knowledge of quality radiographs — understand what a quality dental radiograph should image –Education — continuing education is important

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Protection Measures for the Patient Technique Standards –Intraoral technique choice — first choice; The paralleling technique yields more accurate and precisely sized radiographic images –Exposure factors — select the appropriate exposure factors — kilovoltage (kVp), milliamperage (mA), and time.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Protection Measures for the Patient Equipment Standards: The Federal Performance Standard for Diagnostic X-ray Equipment, effective August –Provisions require that all x-ray equipment manufactured after this date meet certain radiation safety requirements including filtration, collimation, and PID

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-1 Collimator and filter. The collimator is a lead washer that restricts the size of the x-ray beam. The filter is an aluminum disc that filters (removes) the long wavelength x-rays.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-2 Effect of filtration on skin exposure. Aluminum filters selectively absorb the long wavelength x-rays.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-3 Effect of collimation on primary beam. Lead collimators control the shape and size of the primary beam. The beam is limited to the approximate size of the image receptor.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-4 External collimator attaches to the PID to reduce the area of radiation exposure.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-5 The collimator restricts the size of the primary beam to 2.75 in. (7 cm) at the end of the PID.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-6 Although circular collimation provides a large enough area of exposure to adequately cover a size #2 image receptor, the patient also receives excess radiation not needed for the exposure of this receptor.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-7 Rectangular PIDs restrict the x-ray beam to the approximate size of a #2 intraoral image receptor. Rectangular PIDs are available in 8, 12, and 16 inches (20.5, 30, and 41 cm). (Courtesy of Margraf Dental Manufacturing Inc.)

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-8 Plastic closed-ended, pointed “cones” are no longer used.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-9 Round PIDs are available in 16, 12, and 8 inches (41, 30, and 20.5 cm).

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-10 Target-surface distance. The longer the target-surface distance, the more parallel the x-rays and the less tissue exposed. Note that the beam size at the patient’s skin entrance is 2.75 in. (7 cm) for both target-surface distances. It is the exit beam size that increases to expose a larger area when using the shorter target-surface distance.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-11 Many image receptor holding devices are available to fit most situations. The use of a holder prevents asking patients to put their fingers in the path of the primary beam.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-12 Lead aprons and thyroid collars are available in a wide range of sizes. Aprons are available with an attached thyroid collar, or the thyroid collar may be a separate part.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-13 Patient protected with lead apron with thyroid collar in place.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Protection Measures for the Patient Optimum Film Processing –Processing errors increase patient radiation exposure by resulting in retake radiographs. –Patient protection techniques should be used at all times to keep radiation exposures as low as possible

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Box 6-1 Summary of Protection Methods for the Patient

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Protection Methods for the Radiographer All measures taken to protect the patient from radiation also benefit the radiographer. Radiation protection methods include time, shielding, and distance. The radiographer should spend a minimal amount of time, protected by shielding, at the greatest distance from the source of radiation to avoid unnecessary exposure.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Box 6-2 Summary of Methods to Protect the Radiographer

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-14 Distance is an effective means of reducing exposure from scatter radiation.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-15 When structural shielding is not available, the radiographer should stand in a position at least 6 ft (1.83 m) from the head of the patient at an angle of 45º to the exiting primary beam.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Radiation Monitoring Area monitoring Personnel monitoring: Types –Film badge –Thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) –OSL (optimally stimulated luminescence) monitor –DIS (direct ion stimulation) monitor

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Table 6-2 Types of Personnel Monitoring Devices

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-16 OSL radiation monitor worn by the radiographer to monitor radiation exposure. (Courtesy of Landauer, Inc.)

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Figure 6-17 DIS radiation monitor. Sized and shaped similar to a thumb drive, this device has a clip to allow the radiographer to wear the monitor while working with ionizing radiation. The device uses a USB connector to plug into a computer with Internet access. When logged on to the manufacturer’s Web site, real-time radiation exposure readings may be downloaded from the device. (Courtesy of Quantum Products.)

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Organizations Responsible for Recommending/Setting Exposure Limits Maximum permissible dose (MPD) –Radiation workers –General public

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Table 6-3 Radiation Protection Organizations

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Guides for Maintaining Safe Radiation Levels Radiation safety legislation

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Review: Chapter Summary Oral healthcare professionals have an ethical responsibility to adopt the ALARA concept. The most important step in keeping the patient’s exposure to a minimum is the use of evidenced-based selection criteria to assess patients for radiographic need.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Review: Chapter Summary The technical ability of the radiographer will aid in preventing unnecessary radiation exposure to the patient. Technical ability includes: communication, working knowledge of quality radiographs, and education.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Review: Chapter Summary Technique standards, including the choice of paralleling or bisecting technique, and the selection of exposure factors also aid in preventing unnecessary radiation exposure.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Review: Chapter Summary Equipment standards that play an important role in reducing patient radiation dose include collimation, filtration, and PID length. Filtration is the absorption of long wavelength, less penetrating x-rays from the x-ray beam by passage through a sheet of material called a filter.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Review: Chapter Summary Present safety standards require an equivalent of 1.5 mm aluminum filtration for dental x-ray machines operating in ranges below 70 kVp and a minimum of 2.5 mm aluminum for machines operating at or above 70 kVp. Total filtration is the sum of inherent and added filtration.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Review: Chapter Summary Collimation — control of the size and shape of the useful beam. Federal regulations require round opening collimators restrict the x-ray beam to 2.75 in. (7 cm) at the patient end of the PID. Rectangular collimation reduces patient radiation dose by 70 percent over round collimation. Collimation reduces scattered radiation that contributes to poor contrast of radiographic images.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Review: Chapter Summary (PID) is an extension of the tube housing; used to direct the primary x-ray beam. The length of the PID helps establish the desired target–surface distance. PIDs have either a round or rectangular shape and are available in lengths of 8 in. (20.5 cm), 12 in. (30 cm), and 16 in. (41 cm)

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Review: Chapter Summary Fast film requires less radiation for exposure. Film speed groups D, E, or F are currently available for use in dental radiography. The use of digital image receptors can further reduce the radiation dose to the patient.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Review: Chapter Summary Image receptor holders eliminate using the patient’s fingers to stabilize the receptor intraorally, avoiding unnecessary radiation exposure to the patient’s fingers. A lead or lead-equivalent thyroid collar with apron should be placed on all patients during intraoral x-ray exposures.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Review: Chapter Summary Optimum film processing using time — temperature techniques in an adequately equipped darkroom will help avoid retakes. Reduce operator exposure — reduce time spent near the source of radiation; use structural shielding; or stand 6 feet away from the source of radiation at a 45-degree angle to the exiting primary beam.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Review: Chapter Summary Area and personnel radiation monitoring can be used to measure radiation exposures. The ICRP and the NCRP recommend dose limits. Federal, state, and local agencies set regulations governing exposure.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Review: Chapter Summary The American Dental Association and the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology work closely with all agencies responsible for radiation safety.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Review: Chapter Summary The maximum permissible dose (MPD) is 50 mSv (5 rem) per year for radiation workers and 5 mSv (0.5 rem) for the general public, radiation workers who are pregnant, and children under 18 years of age.

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Recall: Study Questions General Chapter Review

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Reflect: Case Study Use the selection criteria guidelines to make a preliminary recommendation and/or to explain to the patient why the dentist has prescribed or has not prescribed radiographs. Consider the following three cases:

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Reflect: Case Study 1.A 17-year-old patient presents with a healthy oral assessment. No active caries were clinically detected. No periodontal pockets were noted. His record indicates that his last radiographs were bitewings taken 6 months ago. Based on the evidence-based selection criteria guidelines, what would be the most likely recommendation for radiographs for this patient?

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Reflect: Case Study 2.A 25-year-old female recall patient presents for her 6-month check-up. Although her homecare is good, Class II (multisurface) restorations are present on several molars and premolars. Her last radiographs were bitewings taken 3 years ago. Based on the evidence-based selection criteria guidelines, what would be the most likely recommendation for radiographs for this patient?

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Reflect: Case Study 3.A 45-year-old male patient, new to your practice, presents with a moderate periodontal condition and evidence of generalized dental disease. He reveals that he has not been “to the dentist” in several years, but is here today to begin to “take care of his teeth.” Based on the evidence-based selection criteria guidelines, what would be the most likely recommendation for radiographs for this patient?

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Essentials of Dental Radiography for Dental Assistants and Hygienists, Ninth Edition Evelyn M. Thomson Orlen N. Johnson Relate: Laboratory Application Proceed to Chapter 6, Laboratory Application, to complete this activity.