Questions and Answers
What is the responsibility of dental personnel according to the text?
Ensuring compliance with occupational exposure requirements
What is the purpose of the collimating device in dental radiographic machines?
Restricting the size of the X-ray beam
What should dental personnel use to protect patients from unnecessary radiation exposure?
Fast image receptors
What is the responsibility of the licensed dentist and X-ray machine registrant according to the text?
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What is the recommended minimum lead equivalent thickness for a protective apron in the X-ray room?
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What is the recommended distance between the operator and the patient during X-ray exposures?
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What type of exposure switch is usually used to terminate the exposure in an X-ray machine?
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What should be the lead equivalent thickness of the manufacturer-provided backscatter shield in a portable dental X-ray unit?
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What should be done if the manufacturer-provided backscatter shield of a portable dental X-ray unit becomes broken or dislodged?
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What is the purpose of a specially designed lead-impregnated thyroid collar?
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What should dental personnel do before making an exposure in the X-ray room?
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What is the purpose of the flexible extension arm in the X-ray machine?
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What should dentists follow for prescribing dental radiographs?
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How often should dental X-ray machines and facilities be registered with the State Department of Public Health?
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What program helps identify and correct exposure problems in dental facilities?
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What should licensed dentists and X-ray machine registrants ensure in relation to radiation exposure?
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How often must machine registration be renewed?
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What should dental X-ray operators have basic knowledge of?
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What should dentists do to ensure quality assurance for digital imaging equipment?
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What should registered facilities do regarding changes or new acquisitions?
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What should dental personnel be provided with regarding operating techniques for dental X-ray equipment?
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What should dentists and X-ray machine registrants ensure regarding radiation exposure for patients and personnel?
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What should licensed dentists and X-ray machine registrants do to protect individuals from radiation exposure?
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What advanced imaging modality has been increasingly used in dental practice?
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What is the maximum allowable radiation exposure for staff in a dental practice?
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How should X-ray tube housing be limited in terms of radiation exposure?
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What is the maximum diameter to which the X-ray beam should be restricted at the skin surface?
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How is the X-ray beam limited to the size of the dental image receptor?
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What is the purpose of filtration in X-ray operations?
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What material is commonly used for added filtration in X-ray operations?
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What is the range of inherent filtration of X-ray tubes?
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What is the purpose of the personnel monitoring device in a dental practice?
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Who is responsible for ensuring that occupational dose limits are not exceeded at multiple facilities?
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What material is commonly used as the filter material in diagnostic X-ray tubes?
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What is the purpose of the regulations specifying the minimum total filtration based on the tube potential (kV)?
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What should dentists do to prevent public members from exceeding radiation dose limits?
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What is the required monitoring for individuals whose job involves X-ray use if the anticipated annual dose exceeds 10% of the annual occupational dose limits?
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For whom is monitoring strongly recommended due to considerably lower fetal exposure limits?
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How long must records of individual monitoring be retained as per Cal/OSHA requirements?
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What is necessary for the protection of life, health, or property and is required by law or regulation?
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What must dental personnel not do during patient exposure?
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What must dental personnel do before making an exposure in the X-ray room?
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What must be conspicuously posted in X-ray rooms as per the text?
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Who should ensure that dental X-ray equipment and imaging software are operated only by individuals adequately instructed in safe operating procedures and competent in their use?
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What should be done if a manufacturer-provided backscatter shield of a portable dental X-ray unit becomes broken or dislodged?
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What should dental personnel use to protect patients from unnecessary radiation exposure?
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What must be provided to occupationally exposed individuals regarding health protection issues associated with radiation exposure?
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What must be reported to the Radiologic Health Branch as per the text?
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Study Notes
Radiation Safety in Dental Practice - Key Points
- Dental hygienists or assistants, if patients, must remove the personnel monitoring device before exposure.
- Employers at multiple facilities must ensure occupational dose limits are not exceeded.
- Employers must provide personnel monitoring or ensure staff exposure does not exceed 10% of the annual limit.
- Dentists should conduct X-ray operations to prevent public members from exceeding radiation dose limits.
- X-ray tube housing must not exceed 100 mrems in any one hour at a distance of 1 meter.
- The X-ray beam should be restricted to a diameter of not more than 7 cm at the skin surface.
- Adding a rectangular collimator limits the X-ray beam to the size of the dental image receptor.
- Filtration is necessary to absorb low-energy X-rays before they reach the patient.
- Inherent filtration of X-ray tubes ranges from 0.5 to over 2.0 mm aluminum-equivalent.
- Added filtration includes sheets of metal (usually aluminum) placed in the direct path of the X-ray beam.
- The regulations specify the minimum total filtration based on the tube potential (kV).
- Diagnostic X-ray tubes use aluminum or an aluminum-equivalent as the filter material.
Radiation Safety in Dental Practice
- Individual or personnel monitoring devices are required for individuals whose job involves X-ray use if the anticipated annual dose exceeds 10% of the annual occupational dose limits.
- Monitoring is strongly recommended for declared pregnant employees as fetal exposure limits are considerably lower.
- An employee (not declared pregnant) may wear a monitoring device for one year, or for one three-month period with the results extrapolated to determine an annual exposure.
- Records of individual monitoring must be retained for the period of employment plus 30 years, per Cal/OSHA requirements.
- Dental personnel must not stand in the path of the useful beam and must remain behind a protective shield or stand at least six feet away from the patient during an exposure.
- Surveys and quality control tests are necessary for the protection of life, health, or property and are required by law or regulation.
- Any dental personnel x-radiation overexposure in excess of the allowable occupational dose limits must be reported to the Radiologic Health Branch.
- Occupationally exposed individuals should be provided with information regarding health protection issues associated with radiation exposure, precautions, and the purpose of protective devices.
- Dental personnel during patient exposure may not hold the patient, image receptor, X-ray tube housing, aiming cylinder, or stand in the path of the useful X-ray beam.
- Dental personnel must not expose any individual to the useful beam for training or demonstration purposes without a valid X-ray prescription from a licensed dentist or medical doctor.
- A current copy of the Department of Public Health Form RH-2364 must be conspicuously posted in X-ray rooms, and a sign stating "CAUTION X-RAYS" must be posted in areas or rooms where X-ray equipment is used.
- Dental X-ray equipment and imaging software should be operated only by individuals adequately instructed in safe operating procedures and competent in their use.
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