Evaluation of the Compliance with the Principles of Radiation Protection in the Dental Offices in Mashhad, Iran

Introduction: Radiography plays a key role in the diagnosis, planning, and efficacy of treatment. Dentists with various levels of knowledge and conduct use intraoral radiography devices. The present study aimed to examine the radiography equipment and evaluate the compliance with the principles of radiation protection in the dental offices in Mashhad, Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 232 dental offices employing intraoral radiographic devices in 2015. Demographic data of the dentists, participation in educational courses, application of dosimeters, protection methods for patients and personnel, and the device features were recorded. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 19. Results: In this study, 22.9 of the radiography devices were equipped with digital systems. The application of the E-speed film and angle bisector technique was estimated at 77.1 and 79.7, respectively. Most dental offices did not use thyroid shields (61.6) and lead aprons (54.7). Among the methods of personnel protection, lead screen (47.4) and maintaining distance (30.2) were used more frequently compared to the other approaches. In 65 of the dental offices, quality control of the devices was performed every year. Mean score of compliance with the principles of protection was 42.9, and radiation protection was at a moderate level in 77 of the dental offices. Additionally, no significant association was observed between the observance of protection principles with gender and work experience of the dentists. Conclusion: Several radiographic devices are used for improving imaging quality and reducing the absorbed radiation dose in patients. Considering the moderate level of compliance with the principles of radiation protection in most of the studied dental offices in Mashhad, it is recommended that training courses be offered in this regard for the accurate monitoring of these principles in the application radiography devices in dental offices.