Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 29, 2026

Quantifying Cognitive Decrements Caused by Cranial Radiotherapy
Published on: October 18, 2011
Radiation-induced cancer risk in radiographic cephalometry
1School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, N.Y.
Abstract:
The carcinogenic risks associated with the cephalometric x-ray techniques customarily used in orthodontics and oral surgery have been estimated. Lateral, posteroanterior, 45 degrees oblique, lateral temporomandibular joint tomography, basilar techniques, and commonly-used combinations were examined. Data reported in a previous article on doses absorbed by pituitary (brain), salivary, and thyroid glands were used to calculate increased risk over normal incidence using the BEIR V model. The findings are expressed in a number of graphs. Tables list the estimated percentage increase in carcinomas for several of the most often used cephalometric procedures, and compare these with the more common complete mouth (periapical) and panoramic surveys. The overall conclusion is that responsible use of cephalometric radiology adds very little to the person's carcinogenic burden.
Related Concept Videos
Biological Effects of Radiation
Mutations
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...
X-ray Imaging
Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
Radiological Investigation I: X-ray and CT

