Dental X-rays may help dentists collect essential information about oral health, but a new study is raising questions about their safety. The new research links regular dental imaging to one of the most common types of brain tumors and suggests adults who were regularly exposed to X-rays in the past, before dosages were lowered, might have an especially pronounced risk. For the new study, scheduled to be published online on Tuesday in the the American Cancer Society’s journal Cancer, researchers examined data from more than 1,400 patients who had been diagnosed with meningioma: This is a type of tumor that grows in membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord and generally is noncancerous, but can lead to headaches, vision and memory problems and loss of speech and motor control. The researchers compared those individuals to more than 1,300 adults who were tumor-free. Adults who developed brain tumors were more than twice as likely to say that they had bitewing X-rays yearly, if not more frequently, according to the findings. Bitewing X-rays, which require patients to bite down on an X-ray film holder, show the crowns of the upper and lower teeth at the same time.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/10/dental-x-rays-brain-tumor_n_1413158.html?ref=email_share
Please remember, this was the Huffington Post………Sensationalism R’US – thus, read an article that is a “smidge” more erudite
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/10/us-dental-x-rays-idUSBRE8390GM20120410
At some point, a few of the readers must take note and feel that a KNOWLEDGE NETWORK for Canadian dentists would be a good thing, a positive force for transparency, a means to stay abreast of relevant and salient news, a means by which troubleshooting, regardless of how you perceive or define it, has merit on all fronts, governance, practice, practice management and patient interaction.
Be the force, don’t be forced!…….and some more from today’s GOOGLE ALERTS on dental news
But first – read the following from Dr. Milan Madhavji – m@canaray.com – www.canaray.com – one of Canada’s most talented and sophisticated radiologists.
If bitewings are associated with meningiomas, but a full mouth series is not associated with meningiomas, the implication is that meningiomas are not dependent on increased x-ray doses, because receiving a full mouth series is like 5 sets of bitewings at once (when considering the x-ray dose). Take-home message: Correlation does not imply causation.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/correlation-or-causation-12012011-gfx.html
Dental X-rays linked to brain tumors Atlanta Journal Constitution By Salynn Boyles and Reviewed by: Louise Chang, MD April 10, 2012 — Getting frequent dental X-rays appears to increase the risk for a commonly diagnosed brain tumor, a new study finds. Exposure to ionizing radiation — the kind found in X-rays — is … See all stories on this topic » |
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Dental x-rays linked to common brain tumor Fox News A volunteer dentist holds up a tooth x-ray at the Remote Area Medical clinic in Los Angeles, April 29, 2010. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson A new study suggests people who had certain kinds of dentalX-rays in the past may be at an increased risk for … See all stories on this topic » |
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Yearly dental X-rays raise brain tumor risk, study finds CBS News (CBS News) Many patients who visit the dentist each year get an X-ray. A new study says yearly common dental X-rays may raise a person’s risk for developing meningioma, the most common type of brain tumor found in Americans. See all stories on this topic » |
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Dental X-Rays May Be Linked to Benign Brain Tumors U.S. News & World Report By Randy Dotinga TUESDAY, April 10 (HealthDay News) — People who underwent frequent dentalX-rays in the past, before radiation doses were lowered, may be at greater risk of a usually benign form of tumor in the lining of the brain, … See all stories on this topic » |
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