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References

London: HMSO;
London: HMSO;
London: NRPB/DoH;
Whaites E., 4th edn. Oxford: Churchill Livingstone; 2007
Muirhead CR, O'Hagan JA, Haylock RGE, Phillipson MA, Willcock T, Berridge GLC, Zhang W. Mortality and cancer incidence following occupational radiation exposure: third analysis of the National Registry for Radiation Workers. Br J Cancer. 2009; 100:206-212
, 2nd edn. In: Pendlebury ME, Horner K, Eaton KA (eds). London: FGDP(UK); 2004
Isaacson KG, Thom AR, Horner K, Whaites E., 3rd edn. London: British Orthodontic Society; 2008
European Guidelines on Radiation Protection in Dental Radiology 2004.
, 6th edn. London: Royal College of Radiologists; 2007

Ionizing radiation regulations and the dental practitioner: 1. the nature of ionizing radiation and its use in dentistry

From Volume 39, Issue 3, April 2012 | Pages 191-203

Authors

John Rout

BDS, MDentSci, FDSRCS(Eng), DDRRCR, FRCR

University of Birmingham Dental Hospital

Articles by John Rout

Jackie Brown

BDS, MSc, FDSRCPS, DDRRCR

Consultant in Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals Foundation Trust, London, UK

Articles by Jackie Brown

Abstract

Legislation governing the use of ionizing radiation in the workplace and in medical treatment first became law in 1985 and 1988, being superseded by the Ionizing Radiations Regulations 1999 (IRR99)1 and the Ionizing Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2000, (IR(ME)R 2000),2 respectively. This legislation ensures a safe environment in which to work and receive treatment and requires that those involved in the radiographic process must be appropriately trained for the type of radiographic practice they perform. A list of the topics required is detailed in Schedule 2 of IR(ME)R 2000 and is paraphrased in Table 1, with the extent and amount of knowledge required depending on the type of radiographic practice undertaken.

Clinical Relevance: Virtually all dental practitioners undertake radiography as part of their clinical practice. Legislation requires that users of radiation, including dentists and members of the dental team, understand the basic principles of radiation physics, hazards and protection, and are able to undertake dental radiography safely with the production of high quality, diagnostic images.

Article

The aim of this series of three articles is to complement existing theoretical knowledge acquired at undergraduate level required, particularly for practitioners and operators, as defined by the Ionizing Radiation Regulations and outlined in Table 1. They are not meant to be a comprehensive account nor are they designed to replace attendance at update courses on radiation protection, but to outline aspects of the regulations. For a full account, the reader is referred to the legislation itself,1,2 the documentation that accompanies the legislation, in particular the Guidance notes for Dental Practitioners,3 by consulting the relevant texts, such as that produced by Whaites4 and by keeping up-to-date by reading journal articles.

The legislation requires an appropriate knowledge of radiation physics, the nature of ionizing radiation and its interactions. As these take place at the atomic level, a brief description of the atom now follows.

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