Chapter 12: Dental Images and the Dental Radiographer
Dental Images and the Dental Radiographer
Chapter 12
Dental Images
- Dental images are a necessary component of comprehensive patient care
- What is one of the most important uses of a dental image?
- Detection
- Dental images allow the dental professional to identify many conditions that may otherwise go undetected and to see conditions that cannot be identified clinically
Uses of Dental Images
- To detect lesions, diseases, and conditions of the teeth and surrounding structures that cannot be identified clinically
- To confirm or classify suspected disease
- To localize lesions or foreign objects
- To provide information during dental procedures
- Root canal therapy; dental implant placement
- To evaluate growth and development
- To illustrate changes secondary to caries, periodontal disease, and trauma
- To document the condition of a patient at a specific point in time
- To educate the patient
Risks vs. Benefits
- What are the risks?
- Small amount of radiation exposure
- What are the benefits?
- Disease detection
Knowledge and Skill Requirements
- Background knowledge
- Radiation history
- Radiation physics
- Radiation characteristics
- Dental x-ray equipment
- Dental film and sensors
- X-ray image characteristics
- X-ray film processing
- Quality assurance
- Operator protection
- Patient management basics
- Technical skills
Professional Goals
- Patient protection
- Operator protection
- Patient education
- Operator competence
- Operator efficiency
- Production of quality images
- Quality care