A Prospective Study of a Custom-Made Eco-Friendly Thyroid Shield: A Breakthrough in Radiation Protection

Background The thyroid gland is the most susceptible organ to radiation during the exposure of teeth because the thyroid area appears to be within the primary beam, and the dose levels are relatively high even after using collimation. This study aims to develop an eco-friendly thyroid shield by reusing lead foils from intra-oral periapical radiographic films and evaluate its effectiveness in intraoral radiography. Methods A total of 16 patients undergoing endodontic procedures who gave written consent to participate in the study were included and divided into four categories: anterior, canine, premolar, and molar. After preparing a thyroid shield by reutilizing the lead foils, its effectiveness was checked and compared with that of a commercially available thyroid collar (CTC) by measuring the equivalent dose at the position of the thyroid gland while taking radiographs for all four categories. Instruments used included lead foils, cardboard, a CTC, a custom-made thyroid shield (CTS), a dosimeter, and X-ray film. Later, they were divided into three groups: Group I (without), Group II (with CTC), and Group III (with CTS). Results During the radiography, the CTS (Group III) reduced the radiation dose at the thyroid level by approximately 89% and was more effective than the CTC (Group II) in dose reduction when size 2 intraoral periapical (IOPA) radiographs were used. Conclusion The results of this study concluded that the CTS, besides its low cost and ease of preparation, is eco-friendly and more effective than the CTC in terms of dose reduction.