Survey of radiographic requirements and techniques

A survey of dental schools revealed little standardization of student requirements for dental radiography in the United States. Preclinical laboratories for intraoral radiography were given by 46 schools (87 percent), but such laboratories for panoramic radiography were given by only 11 (21 percent). The majority of schools had requirements for clinical intraoral radiography based upon either clock hours or numbers of full mouth radiographic surveys. However, only 40 percent had clinical requirements for extra-oral techniques (including panoramic dental radiographs). For intraoral radiography, most emphasis was placed on the paralleling technique. There was a high degree of variability as to what constituted a full radiographic survey, and this has implications concerning the total amount of radiation to which a patient may be exposed.