Dental Radiographs and the Dental Radiographer DHYG 116 Oral Radiology I Christine Harwood, MS, RDH

Dental Radiography Questions Why are dental radiographs important? What common dental conditions may be found on dental radiographs? What responsibilities may be assigned to the dental radiographer in a dental office?

Dental Radiography Chapter 11 reading: Haring (pp. 140-144)

Objectives Define key words: radiograph, radiographer Discuss the importance of dental radiographs List the uses of dental radiographs List examples of common dental conditions that my be evident on a dental radiograph Discuss the knowledge and skill requirements of the dental radiographer List the responsibilities that may be assigned Discuss the professional goals of the dental radiographer

Dental Radiographs Dental radiograph A photographic image produced on film by the passage of x-rays through teeth and supporting structures

The Importance of Dental Radiographs A necessary component of comprehensive care Essential for diagnostic purposes Enable the dental professional to identify many conditions that may otherwise go undetected

Uses of Dental Radiographs Detection of diseases, lesions, and conditions of the teeth and bones that cannot be identified clinically Confirming suspected diseases Assisting in the localization of lesions and foreign objects

Benefits of Dental Radiographs Haring (p. 141) Primary benefit is detection of disease The benefit far outweighs the risk of small doses of x-radiation

Information Found on Dental Radiographs Haring (pp. 141-142) Missing teeth Extra teeth Impacted teeth Dental caries Periodontal disease Tooth abnormalities Retained roots Cysts and tumors

The Dental Radiographer Knowledge and Skill Requirements Duties and Responsibilities Professional Goals

The Dental Radiographer Any person who positions, exposes, and processes dental x-ray film

Knowledge and Skill Requirements Haring (p. 142) Basic understanding of radiation history Working knowledge of radiation physics, characteristics, biology, and protection Familiar with dental x-ray equipment, film, image characteristics, processing, and quality assurance Patient management basics Technique concepts and technical skills

Duties and Responsibilities May include: Positioning and exposure of dental x-ray films Processing of dental x-ray films Mounting and identification of dental radiographs Education of patients Maintenance of darkroom facilities and processing equipment Implementation and monitoring of quality control procedures Ordering of film and supplies

Professional Goals Patient protection Operator protection Haring (pp. 142-143) Patient protection Operator protection Patient education Operator competence Operator efficiency Production of quality radiographs

Syllabus Review Read through the syllabus, & review schedule Discuss learning objectives Go to WebCT to check assignments This is a hybrid course (web-hosted). You will have two lectures in class and one lab per week. Lecture notes ( PPT’s) will be posted on WebCT as .pdf files, so you will need to have Adobe loaded Quizzes may be either paper or on WebCT, so be sure to bring your computers to class.