Are Dental X-rays Safe For Children?
Dentists use dental X-rays, commonly referred to as radiographs, as a vital diagnostic and therapeutic tool for a variety of paediatric dental conditions. The frequency of dental X-rays for children will vary depending on the child’s age, dental history, and overall oral health. Your dentist will determine the appropriate frequency of X-rays for your child based on these factors. Usually we take small radiographs every 12 or 18 months, but we may need to take them at shorter intervals.
The main benefits of dental X-rays include the following:
Identify problems in the teeth and jaw that may not be visible during a clinical exam, such as decay between the teeth, abscesses, or impacted teeth.
Plan orthodontic treatment, such as braces or other corrective devices, by providing detailed images of the teeth, jaw, and facial structure.
Monitor the development of the child’s teeth, including the eruption of permanent teeth, to ensure that they are coming in properly.
Detect and treat problems early, when they are easier to fix and may cause less discomfort for the child.
Monitor the effectiveness of treatment, such as fillings or crowns, to ensure that they are holding up and not causing further issues.
While dental X-rays do involve exposure to a small amount of radiation, which is measured in millisieverts (mSv), the benefits far outweigh the risks for most children. The amount of radiation a child receives during a dental X-ray is minimal and is considered safe.
Paediatric dentists often compare the radiation exposure from dental X-rays to a flight to help parents understand the minimal risk involved. At higher altitudes, there is less atmosphere to block cosmic radiation, so flight passengers are exposed to slightly more radiation than on the ground.
Bitewing X-rays (a set of 4 images): Around 0.005 mSv, which is roughly equivalent to the radiation received during a 1-2 hour domestic flight.
Panoramic X-ray: Around 0.01 mSv, which is similar to the radiation dose from a transatlantic flight, like flying from New York to London (approximately 0.03-0.04 mSv).
Full-mouth X-ray series: Around 0.1 mSv, which is roughly equivalent to the radiation you’d be exposed to during a longer intercontinental flight, such as 6-8 hours of flight time
Fun fact: What do bananas and and dental x-rays have in common? Ionising radiation!
Bananas are naturally radioactive, as they contain low levels of radioactive isotopes (mainly potassium-40, and trace of radon-226).
So when we say “exposure to radiation from a small dental radiograph (x-ray) is equivalent to eating 50 (!) bananas we are using the “banana equivalent” to describe in a relatable way what this radiation means.
Technically all food is slightly radioactive because of carbon, hydrogen and potassium elements, which include radioactive isotopes. Some foods are more radioactive than others. Brazil nuts are the most radioactive everyday food.