From Volume 44, Issue 2, February 2017 | Pages 146-150
Hand-held dental X-ray equipment is increasingly being purchased for use in general dental practice. The aim of this paper is to update the practitioner with recently published recommendations on the requirements for hand-held devices. The article discusses the concerns often raised with the use of hand-held equipment including safety issues for the operator and the patient.
Hand-held X-ray devices are becoming increasingly used in general dental practice. In the UK, one manufacturer has reported that they sold 385 units, with the majority being to dentists, with a smaller number being used for veterinary, forensic and industrial applications.1 The same manufacturer states that the total number of worldwide sales is approaching 20 000 units.1
Hand-held devices either resemble a gun and are held in one hand, or resemble a camera and are generally held with both hands. An example of each type is shown in Figures 1 and 2. The construction of the X-ray tube is similar to traditional intra-oral equipment. The most striking difference in the tubehead is a shield that is attached to the open-ended spacer cone. This is in place to protect the operator from backscatter.
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