Safety procedures for radiation in dentistry should be performed only if deemed necessary by the dentist

• A. Always
• B. Only if deemed necessary by the dentist
• C. Never
• D. Only if the patient requests

Answer: (B)

In dental radiography, exposure is justified only when there is a clinical need to obtain information that will influence patient care, and the dentist determines that imaging is necessary. When imaging is deemed necessary, safety procedures are implemented to keep the patient’s radiation dose as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA). This means using appropriate shielding (like a lead apron and, when indicated, a thyroid collar), selecting the lowest effective exposure settings, ensuring proper beam alignment and collimation, utilizing fast imaging media or digital sensors, and limiting the number of images to what is essential. A patient’s request alone does not justify imaging, and imaging should not occur if there is no clinical need.