Kids and Dental X-Rays
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2012-05-08/kids-and-dental-x-rays
Guest Host:
Mark Fisher
Recent studies linking dental x-rays to brain tumors and cancers later in life have some parents panicked about their kids' checkups. Adding to the debate is a recent report showing that many more preschoolers are getting multiple cavities, most of which can't be seen with just an oral exam. Although modern dental x-rays are considered far safer than in the past, new technologies like 3-D scans can mean increased radiation exposure. We explore why and when dental x-rays are necessary.
Guests
Alan Lurie
President, American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology; professor, Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences; Chair, Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Diagnostic Sciences; Chair, Section of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine.
Ricardo Perez
Pediatric dentist in private practice in Chevy Chase, Maryland
Comments
Please familiarize yourself with our Code of Conduct and Terms of Use before posting your comments.
Kojo - Can you please have your guests comments on any financial benefits dentists may have to increase or maintain the use of dental x-rays in their clinics? Also, from the onset of the program it seems that neither of your guests is open to discussing the increased radiation we are exposed to, both children and adults alike. I'm disappointed that you don't have another guest on your show without a connection to dentistry to discuss the risks of increased exposure to radiation.
Thanks,
Margaret Johnson
Should those of us who grew up getting dental x-rays during the 60s and 70s be more concerned than kids growing up in the 80s, 90s and 2000s? If so, why?
You may have already addressed this question somewhat but I am 52 years old and I only have had 2 extremely small cavities (both after I was 30) and no gum disease of any kind. As earlier callers have mentioned, typically dentists require a full set of xrays every year which I have had all my life. I am not happy that this probably should not be done especially in my case.
At this point, I am guessing it would be wise for me to question xrays or refuse them in the future since nothing seems to be going on with my dental health. I don't think watching small cavities develop is reason enough to have so much radiation exposure. yes/no? It is news to me that it should have been considered on an individual basis.
Thanks for the show, it will change how I am dealing with my dentist.
please ask the doctors to comment on flossing.
I have always been told that it is as important if not more so to brushing for heathy gums and teeth and to avoid periodontal diseases such as gingivitis.
Can your guests comment on metal fillings that were given to children in the 1970's and 1980's and what effect that may have on long term health? I know mercury is not used in the present amalgams, but I wonder what kind of effects the old fillings might have on those who had them put in as a child 30 years ago.
Also, what advice (if any) do you have to convince an adult who hasn't been to the dentist in over 10 years, maybe more, that he needs to go? I realize that's off topic, but I think fear is a component, which may have originated in childhood from bad experiences.
Is Dr Lurie related to Dr Donald Lurie, an oral surgeon from Towson, Md?
He was top notch.
While we should always seek to avoid needless exposure to radiation we should also avoid unnecessary panic that causes parents to give their kids less care.
The study on which this panic is based looked at people diagnosed with benign (not cancerous) tumors (meningiomas) who were 20 to 79 years of age as compared to a random sample of people. It relied entirely on people's recollections of dental xrays. Except for those who had Panorex films taken, the incidence is still very small.
The researcher's conclusions:
"Exposure to some dental x-rays performed in the past, when radiation exposure was greater than in the current era, appears to be associated with an increased risk of intracranial meningioma."
This is hardly a call for current parents to keep their kids from ever getting the kind of xrays taken today.
If you want to see the actual study:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.26625/full
I may be wrong but the ADA reference I found (https://www.ada.org/sections/scienceAndResearch/pdfs/topics_radiography_... ) contradicts the general x-ray frequency the guests suggested. I personally opt to skip x-rays whenever possible but I think the guests understated how common of a practice it is that dentists ask patients to undergo frequent x-rays. There seem to be no patient condition which leads to the recommendation of "no dental radiographs" except when patients have no teeth?!
The overall rate of meningiomas is 7.8 per 100,000 people. That is, the risk of getting a meningioma is about 0.0078%. Only 25% of meningiomas are found as a result of symptoms experienced by the person.
http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/hemato...
You are 3-4 times more likely to be diagnosed with a Lymphoma (27 per 100,000). Boys are 20 times more likely to get prostate cancer (154.8 per 100,000) and girls are 16 times more likely to get breast cancer (124.3 per 100,000) than to get a meningioma.
http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/index.html
I'm not saying this is something we should ignore, but it isn't a reason to panic. In the meantime, doctors and dentists should continue trying to reduce radiation exposure.