Ambient dose during intra-oral radiography with current techniques: Part 2 quantifying the remnant beam - an in vivo...

(1) To find a safe reference transmission factor for the remnant beam to be used when assessing the remnant beam during intra-oral radiography. (2) To identify factors such as exposure type, side (left or right), gender and age that might significantly affect transmission.

Measurements were performed in the remnant beam during 323 intra-oral exposures of 43 patients. The exposure parameters were 60 kV and 7 mA. These measurements were compared with values in the same setting, but without a patient present to arrive at a transmission value. Differences between types of exposure [bitewing (BW), incisor and canine (IC) periapical, premolar and molar (PM) periapical], exposure side (left or right), gender and age were statistically analysed. The reference value was based on the exposure yielding the highest transmission value, to which a safety margin of two standard deviations (SDs) was added, and then rounding up.

The respective mean transmission values (SD) for BW, IC and PM exposures were as follows: 1.78% (1.15%), 0.639% (0.63%) and 2.60% (0.98%). The differences between PM and IC and between BW and IC were significant (p > 0.01). The differences between exposure side, gender and age were not significant. The reference transmission value, which was calculated from the highest mean transmission percentage for PM (2.60%) plus twice the SD (0.98%) and rounding up, was 5%.

A transmission factor of 5% could be used to assess the remnant beam during intra-oral radiography. Anterior exposures led to significantly lower transmission values than posterior exposures.