Radiographic trends of dental offices and dental schools

Background. A survey of private practise facilities in the United States th at perform dental radiography was conducted in 1993 and repeated in dental schools in 1995-1996. Methods. Both surveys were conducted as part of the Nationwide Evaluation o f X-ray Trends, or NEXT, survey program. A representative sample of dental facilities from each participating state were surveyed, and data on patient radiation exposure, radiographic technique, film-image quality, film-proce ssing quality and darkroom fog were collected. Results. The authors found that dental schools use E-speed film more freque ntly than do private practising facilities. The use of E-speed film and bet ter film processing by ental schools resulted in lower patient radiation ex posures without sacrificing image quality. The authors also found that dent al darkrooms had lower ambient fog levels than did those of private practis e facilities. Conclusions. The distribution for the 1993 NEXT survey facilities was great er than that observed for dental schools for radiation exposure, film-proce ssing quality and darkroom fog. Dental schools, in general, had better film quality and lower radiation exposures than did private practise facilities . Practise Implications. Facilities need to emphasize better quality processi ng and the use of E-speed film to reduce patient exposure and improving ima ge quality.