Radiograph prescription practices of dentists in Ontario, Canada

With the advent of new ionizing radiation technologies, consideration must be given to the use of radiography in clinical practice. The authors aimed to determine how general dentists obtain oral and maxillofacial images and whether dentists' demographic characteristics and practice environments affect imaging decisions.

The authors conducted a cross-sectional study using an electronic survey to collect information from general dentists in Ontario, Canada's most populous province.

The authors received 1,332 responses from 9,052 general dentists registered to practice in Ontario. A total of 57.2% of dentists used a nonindividualized approach to obtaining images for new adult dentate patients. Using clinical case scenarios, the authors found that 18.8% through 55.1% of dentists did not follow evidence-based guidelines when obtaining images. Overprescribing imaging was 5.8 times more common than underprescribing. Seeing patients after images were obtained (odds ratio [OR], 5.5), owning a panoramic and a cone-beam computed tomography imaging system (OR, 4.4), and the belief that images should be obtained to screen for occult pathoses (OR, 3.5) were the factors most strongly associated with overprescription.

Radiography prescription practices varied considerably among general dentists in Ontario and did not conform to established guidelines. Factors other than patient needs appeared to influence imaging practices.

Overprescription of imaging by general dentists can result in unnecessary radiation exposure and financial costs to patients. To mitigate this, changes are needed in dental education, continuing education courses, and regulatory requirements.