Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Oct-Dec;44(4):292-297.
doi: 10.4103/jmp.JMP_77_19. Epub 2019 Dec 11.

Assessment of Adult Diagnostic Reference Levels for Panoramic Radiography in Tamil Nadu Region

Amal Jose  1 , A Saravana Kumar  1 , K N Govindarajan  1 , B Devanand  2 , N Elango  2
Affiliations

Assessment of Adult Diagnostic Reference Levels for Panoramic Radiography in Tamil Nadu Region

Amal Jose et al. J Med Phys. 2019 Oct-Dec.

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to calculate dose area product (DAP) and to determine diagnostic reference level (DRL) for adult panoramic procedures in Tamil Nadu.

Materials and methods: In this study, air kerma on the front side of the secondary collimator was measured with a Black Piranha, RTI Electronics, Sweden and multiplied with the corresponding exposed area to calculate DAP. The obtained DAP values were further analyzed, and DRL was calculated using the Microsoft Excel software. The study was carried out with regular adult exposure parameters.

Results: The mean, range, and 3rd quartile values for 67 panoramic scanners in Tamil Nadu, India, were calculated as 94 mGycm2, 41 mGycm2-165 mGycm2, and 114.3 mGycm2, respectively. The results are comparable with other international studies.

Conclusion: The present study suggests that further optimization can be achieved in many centers by the recruitment of professionally qualified radiographers and conducting periodic training programs on the optimization of exposure parameters. Considering this as the first study for the dental DRL assessment, further studies are suggested to establish national dental DRL in India.

Keywords: Dental radiography; diagnostic reference level; dose area product; radiation protection.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Graphical representation shown in Piranha Ocean software after inaccurate positioning (a) and accurate positioning (b) of dosimeter
Figure 2
Figure 2
Panoramic Piranha holder with Piranha dosimeter
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pictorial representation of experimental procedure
Figure 4
Figure 4
Screenshot of the reading obtained in Ocean 2014 Connect software for exposure parameters of 70 kVp, 10 mA and 13.9 s
Figure 5
Figure 5
Comparison of machine dose area product and calculated dose area product
Figure 6
Figure 6
Proposed adult diagnostic reference level and calculated dose area product values of different panoramic units
Figure 7
Figure 7
Comparison of other country panoramic diagnostic reference level and the present study diagnostic reference level
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kaeppler G, Dietz K, Herz K, Reinert S. Factors influencing the absorbed dose in intraoral radiography. Dentomaxillofac Radiol. 2007;36:506–13. - PubMed
    1. Hujoel P, Hollender L, Bollen AM, Young JD, McGee M, Grosso A. Head-and-neck organ doses from an episode of orthodontic care. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2008;133:210–7. - PubMed
    1. Vañó E, Miller DL, Martin CJ, Rehani MM, Kang K, Rosenstein M, et al. ICRP publication 135: Diagnostic reference levels in medical imaging. Ann ICRP. 2017;46:1–44. - PubMed
    1. International Atomic Energy Agency. Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs) in Medical Imaging. 2018. [Last accessed on 2018 Jun 15]. Available from: https://www.iaea.org/resources/rpop/health-professionals/nuclear-medicin... .
    1. Lee JS, Kim YH, Yoon SJ, Kang BC. Reference dose levels for dental panoramic radiography in Gwangju, South Korea. Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2010;142:184–90. - PubMed