Dental roentgenographic exposure in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, (5)

A phantom human jaw constructed of Mix-D material and containing a human mandible, with simulated caries, amalgam restorations, and other deformities in the teeth encountered in clinical dentistry, was radiographed using various kVp, mAs, and X-ray films. The radiographs were assessed by 12 Japanese and 12 American dentists. An altered Rando phantom was used to measure doses to critical organs according to the various exposure parameters. Most of the participating American and Japanese dentists selected as diagnostically best, Kodak Ultra-Speed radiographs exposed at 50 kVp, Three of eight Japanese dentists opined that radiographs exposed to 90 kVp X-rays were unsatisfactory in that they did not provide the diagnostic information present on the films exposed at 50 kVp. Relatively high (90) kVp techniques incur less surface doses. However, the results of this study suggested that, with high kVp techniques, some important diagnostic information may be missed. The relatively low kVp techniques incur greater surface doses, but appear to provide more diagnostic information for the practicing dentist. (author)