ABSTRACT
In 2002 it was estimated that 41.5 million medical and dental X-ray examinations were undertaken in the UK, which represented 0.70 examinations per head of the population. Dental radiography has been recognised as the most common radiographic examination constituting 33% of all radiological examinations. By 2008, published numbers of dental radiographs provided within and external to the NHS was 46 million, which included intraoral, panoramic and cephalometric images. The majority of dental radiographs are taken in the primary care dental setting by general dental practitioners, hygienists and dental practice nurses, who have obtained qualifications to allow them to conduct a dental X-ray examination. Many dental practices now employ digital technology to provide both intraoral and extraoral radiographs. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is now being used increasingly in both hospitals and in practices that specialise in endodontic and surgical treatments. The use of CBCT allows clinicians to acquire accurate bone depth measurements for implant planning at a much reduced dose to that which was previously required for multislice computed tomography (MSCT).
