Digital Intraoral Imaging Re‐Exposure Rates of Dental Students

Abstract

A guiding principle of radiation safety is ensuring that radiation dosage is as low as possible while yielding the necessary diagnostic information. Intraoral images taken with conventional dental film have a higher re-exposure rate when taken by dental students compared to experienced staff. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of and reasons for re-exposure of digital intraoral images taken by third- and fourth-year dental students in a dental school clinic. At one dental school in Canada, the total number of intraoral images taken by third- and fourth-year dental students, re-exposures, and error descriptions were extracted from patient clinical records for an eight-month period (September 2015 to April 2016). The data were categorized to distinguish between digital images taken with solid-state sensors or photostimulable phosphor plates (PSP). The results showed that 9,397 intraoral images were made, and 1,064 required re-exposure. The most common error requiring re-exposure for bitewing images was an error in placement of the receptor too far mesially or distally (29% for sensors and 18% for PSP). The most common error requiring re-exposure for periapical images was inadequate capture of the periapical area (37% for sensors and 6% for PSP). A retake rate of 11% was calculated, and the common technique errors causing image deficiencies were identified. Educational intervention can now be specifically designed to reduce the retake rate and radiation dose for future patients.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) of Radiographic Protection by Dental Undergraduate and Endodontic Postgraduate Students, General Practitioners, and Endodontists

“…Furthermore, the use of digital sensors or F-speed film (the fastest among other types) along with rectangular collimation should be considered to minimize radiation exposure [29]. More mesaures to reduce the radiation exposure is the use of receptor holders to optimize and minimize repeated exposure [30]. is study had some limitations where the number of respondents could not be controlled.…”

Errors in the periapical radiographic technique

“…In relation to the types of errors observed, the sensor achieved the most frequent errors, as follows: there was no safety margin (35.7%) and there was an overlapping of the proximal surfaces of the teeth (23.1%). For Senior et al [2] , the most common error in the periapical radiographs, which caused a repetition of the images, was an absence of the apical region when using the sensor (37%) and less, when using the phosphor plate (6%). In the present study, the highest percentage of errors in the periapical radiographs also occurred with the use of the sensor.…”

“…In the present research, when comparing the two digital systems, those that had used the sensor presented the greatest number of errors in the periapical radiographic technique. The rigidity and the thickness of the sensor could justify this result, since they make the positioning in the mouth more difficult [2] . In contrast, the phosphor plate is less bulky than the sensor.…”

“…In contrast, the phosphor plate is less bulky than the sensor. It is similar in size, shape and thickness to the radiographic films and it can be used with the same positioner that is used in the conventional method [2,3] , unlike the sensor, which has a specific positioner. Another factor that may have hampered the realization of the technique with the sensor was the presence of the cable that makes the connection to the computer [4] .…”

Evidence on radiation dose reduction using rectangular collimation: a systematic review

“…Recently, two studies addressed intraoral re-exposure rates for digital images taken by dental students and dental hygiene students in a dental school environment that routinely uses rectangular collimation 45,46 . The overall intraoral re-exposure rate was 11% for dental students and 6% for dental hygiene students.…”