Does facial sunscreen usage impact radiographic image quality and radiation dose? An in vitro study

To assess whether the use of different types of facial sunscreen influences the quality of radiographic images and the absorbed radiation dose during radiographic acquisitions.

In this in vitro study, two types of facial sunscreens (Bioderma^®), both with a sun protection factor of 50, were tested: one organic and one inorganic. A polystyrene plate was used, containing a thermoluminescent dosimeter and a photostimulable phosphor plate for the radiographs. The sunscreen was applied to the plate, and five radiographs were taken for each group: control (without sunscreen), organic sunscreen, and inorganic sunscreen. Image quality was assessed by noise, brightness, and uniformity, and the radiation dose was measured in milligrays. The results were compared using one-way analysis of variance with Tukey post-hoc test (α = 5%).

Inorganic sunscreen produced images with higher brightness and lower uniformity, with no significant differences in noise. Additionally, this group showed a lower radiation dose (0.50 mGy) compared to the control group (0.60 mGy) and the organic sunscreen (0.58 mGy) (p < 0.05).

The inorganic sunscreen altered image quality by increasing brightness and decreasing uniformity, while also reducing the absorbed radiation dose.