Editorial
The Image Gently in Dentistry campaign: promotion of responsible use of maxillofacial radiology in dentistry for children

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Background

In 1999 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a pivotal report concluding that some patient morbidity and mortality was a result of medical errors caused by faulty systems, processes, and conditions that lead people to make mistakes or fail to prevent them.1 IOM recommends “raising performance standards and expectations for improvements in safety through the actions of oversight organizations, professional groups, and group purchasers of health care.” Standards and expectations can be

Radiation Exposure From Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology

Although individual doses from radiographic procedures in dentistry are relatively low, these examinations are quite common. There were an estimated 500 million intraoral bitewing and full-mouth radiographic procedures performed in 2006 in the United States,2 almost twice the number of conventional medical radiographic and fluoroscopic examinations combined. Furthermore, studies of various dental populations have found that there is a broad range of exposures used in dental offices.10 The

Promotion of Dose Reduction in Pediatric Imaging: Image Gently

In 2007, the Society for Pediatric Radiology reached out to organizations representing members of the entire health care team in pediatric radiology including radiologists (American College of Radiology), radiologic technologists (American Society of Radiologic Technologists), and medical imaging physicists (American Association of Physicists in Medicine) to found the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging (www.imagegently.org). The mission of the Alliance is to improve the safety

The Image Gently in Dentistry campaign

Image Gently provides guidance to professionals, parents, and patients in specific areas of diagnostic imaging including CT, fluoroscopy, digital radiography, interventional radiology, nuclear medicine, and ultrasonography. The newest initiative, set for public launch in September 2014 (to coincide with the annual session of the AAOMR in Orlando, FL, USA, and immediately before the annual meeting of the ADA in October in San Antonio, TX, USA), is the Image Gently in Dentistry campaign. The

Summary

The Image Gently in Dentistry campaign to be launched in September 2014 is a specific initiative of the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging, supported by organized dentistry and dental education as well as many dental specialty organizations. The objective of the campaign is to change practice by increasing awareness of the opportunities to improve radiation protection when imaging children in dental practices. Six practical steps are provided that underline the principle that

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