Evaluation of radiation protection conditions in intraoral radiology

Abstract Introduction: The dental radiology represents about 20% of human exposure to radiation in radio diagnostic. Although the doses practiced in intraoral dentistry are considered low, they should not be ignored due to the volume of the performed procedures. This study presents the radiation protection conditions for intraoral radiology in Curitiba - PR. Methods Data was collected through a quantitative field research of a descriptive nature during the period between September of 2013 and December of 2014. The survey sample consisted of 97 dentists and 130 intraoral equipments. The data related to the equipments was collected using structured questions and quality control evaluations. The evaluations of the entrance skin dose, the size of the radiation field and the total filtration were performed with dosimetry kits provided and evaluated by IRD/CNEN. The exposure time and voltage were measured using noninvasive detectors. The occupational dose was verified by thermoluminescent dosimeters. The existence of personal protection equipment, the type of image processing and knowledge of dentists about radiation protection were verified through the application of a questionnaire. Results Among the survey's results, it is important to emphasize that 90% of the evaluated equipments do not meet all the requirements of the Brazilian radiation protection standards. Conclusion The lack of knowledge about radiation protection, the poor operating conditions of the equipments, and the image processing through visual method are mainly responsible for the unnecessary exposure of patients to ionizing radiation.

摘要
引言：牙科放射成像约占人类放射诊断辐射暴露总量的20%。尽管口内牙科诊疗所使用的辐射剂量被认为较低，但由于相关操作体量庞大，仍不可忽视。本研究针对巴西巴拉那州库里提巴市的口内放射学辐射防护现状展开调研。
方法：本研究于2013年9月至2014年12月期间开展描述性定量实地研究。调查样本包含97名牙医及130台口内放射设备。设备相关数据通过结构化问卷与质量控制评估采集。采用由巴西辐射与核科学研究所/巴西国家核能委员会（IRD/CNEN）提供并校准的剂量测量套件，对入射皮肤剂量、辐射野尺寸及总滤过量进行评估；使用无创探测器测量曝光时间与X线管电压；通过热释光剂量计（thermoluminescent dosimeters）检测职业照射剂量。此外，通过问卷调查核实个人防护装备配备情况、图像处理方式及牙医对辐射防护知识的掌握程度。
结果：调研结果显示，90%的被评估设备未完全满足巴西辐射防护标准的各项要求。
结论：对辐射防护知识的匮乏、设备运行条件不佳以及采用目视法进行图像处理，是导致患者遭受不必要电离辐射暴露的主要原因。