Radiation Safety: Endodontic Perspective

Abstract

Endodontists belong to the category of specialist dentists who depend much on dental radiography. Starting from the stage of disease diagnosis, radiography is of much importance in different stages of endodontic therapy, and further on radiographic evaluation is a tool for assessment of endodontic treatment. There is a heavy dependency on dental radiography in some form or other in the speciality of endodontics. As is the case with any ionizing radiation, radiation hazard is a phenomenon that matters a lot to this group of dental professionals. There needs to be a change in our attitude toward radiation safety measures, as many of our professional colleagues are seen much not to be bothered about the cumulative outcomes of radiation hazard, which can create havoc in our professional and personal lives. This article outlines the potential hazards that can happen by routine radiographic utilization in endodontic setup and tries to highlight the measures that need to be taken to mitigate the negative effects.