Dental Radiographs and the Dental Radiographer

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

2. 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?

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

4. 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

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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. The Dental Radiographer • Knowledge and Skill Requirements • Duties and Responsibilities • Professional Goals

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

12. 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

13. 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

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

15. 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.