The use of radiation dose-reduction techniques in the practices of dental faculty members

X-ray exposure to dental patients has been significantly reduced by the introduction of speed group E intraoral film, rectangular beam limitation, long position indicating devices (PIDs), and rare-earth intensifying screens for extraoral radiography. Research indicates that many dentists do not use these techniques. However, schools of dentistry have implemented them to varying degrees for many years, so this investigation was conducted to determine the extent to which dental school faculty members use these materials and techniques in their own practices. Comparisons were made between full- and part-time instructors, those in practice for fifteen years or less and those in practice for more than fifteen years, and those with postgraduate education versus those with no formal education beyond dental school. The significance of differences was measured with chi-square analysis. The results indicate that dentists with faculty appointments utilize dose-reducing techniques to degrees that are comparable to or greater than reported usage by non-dental faculty practitioners. Faculty dentists in practice fifteen years or less are more likely than their older colleagues to use E-speed film (p = 0.001), whereas those in practice more than fifteen years are more likely to use longer PIDs (p = 0.049). Greater acceptance of these practices by faculty may lead to reinforcement of their use in the clinical education of dental students.