An audit of film reject and repeat rates in a department of dental radiology

Abstract

A study of film reject and repeat rates was undertaken in the Department of Dental Radiology of King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry over a 6 month period. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of changes implemented after a previous audit, and to carry out a more detailed analysis of the factors influencing the reject and repeat rates using a larger volume of data. The information recorded included the equipment and projection used, and the age of the patient if under 16 years. The overall reject rate was 3.06%, 1.84% less than recorded in the earlier study, and the repeat rate was 0.93%. Positioning errors were the most frequent cause for rejection. Significant differences in reject rates were noted between different projections, and also between qualified staff and those in training. The rejection rate for patients under 16 years was not significantly higher than for patients over 16 years, the most frequent cause of rejection was still positioning faults, but patient movement accounted for a larger proportion of the rejects than was the case in adult patients. The results demonstrate the role of audit in isolating factors leading to additional exposures. The effectiveness of changes implemented following a reject film analysis is also shown.

Patient dose from radiographic rejects/repeats in radiology centers of Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Iran

“…An analysis of radiographic repeat data in this study showed an average repeat rate of 7.20%. The previous studies reported that the typical values of repeat rates were 3.5% to 19.3% [3,6,22]. From the information acquired by the methodology, it is obvious that the main reason for radiographic repeat is a function of multi parameters, such as working experience of the personnel, workload of the radiology center, using automatic exposure control system (photo timers), etc.…”

Positioning errors and quality assessment in panoramic radiography

“…A non-diagnostic quality image which leads to repetition is not a result of an inherent limitation of the equipment but rather is a result of errors made by the operator during patient positioning and processing of the image 7,9,14,15. Compared with intraoral radiography, panoramic radiography poses particular challenges in both of these aspects of image production 9.…”

Radiation Protection

“…References [39][40] Chapter 4 Equipment factors in the reduction of [41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52] radiation doses to patients 4 Common problems in radiography 77 5.9.1.…”

“…Optimum geometry is often difficult to achieve in the edentulous jaw. The magnification factor in panoramic radiography is particularly variable and the consensus of one expert committee (47) was to recommend that the panoramic film should be augmented by tomography, either conventional or computed, in order to provide the information necessary for optimum implant placement.…”

“…A proportion of patients need advanced imaging especially in cases involving bone grafts and in those in which there are multiple potential implant sites. In these cases CT has been recommended (47). Table 3.6 details the range of imaging methods for pre-operative planning in various parts of the oral cavity.…”