• Home
• Welcome
• About Us
• Services
• Dental Questions
• Photo Gallery
• Testimonials
• Dental Blog
• News & Articles
• Directions
• Contact Us

Questions or Comments * = Required Field 800.786.1497

  Previous Posts

• Increasing Oral Health Problem May Be A Sign of Al...
• Plan Now To Maximize Dental Insurance Benefits
• 5 Things To Eat For Healthy Teeth
• Headaches? It Could Be Your Jaw
• Heart Disease Risk May Be Reduced By Sleep Apnea T...
• Broken Tooth?
• Cosmetic Dentistry For Those Who Fear The Dentist
• Dental Insurance And Your Treatment
• New Gum Disease Treatment?
• What Causes TMJ Pain?

 

  Archives

• January 2007
• February 2007
• March 2007
• April 2007
• May 2007
• June 2007
• July 2007
• August 2007
• September 2007
• October 2007
• November 2007
• December 2007
• January 2008
• February 2008
• March 2008
• April 2008
• May 2008
• June 2008
• July 2008
• August 2008
• September 2008
• October 2008
• December 2008
• January 2009
• February 2009
• March 2009
• April 2009
• June 2009
• July 2009
• August 2009
• September 2009
• October 2009
• November 2009
• December 2009
• January 2010
• February 2010
• March 2010
• April 2010
• May 2010
• June 2010
• July 2010
• August 2010
• December 2010
• January 2011
• February 2011
• March 2011
• April 2011
• May 2011
• September 2011
• October 2011
• November 2011
• December 2011
• January 2012
• February 2012
• March 2012
• April 2012
• June 2012
• August 2012
• September 2012
• October 2012
• November 2012
• December 2012
• January 2013
• February 2013
• March 2013
• April 2013
• May 2013
• June 2013
• July 2013
• August 2013
• September 2013
• October 2013
• November 2013
• December 2013
• January 2014
• February 2014
• March 2014
• June 2014
• July 2014
• August 2014
• September 2014
• October 2014
• December 2014
• January 2015
• February 2015
• March 2015
• April 2015
• May 2015
• August 2015
• September 2015
• October 2015
• November 2015

Dr. Mogell Dental Blog

Boca Raton Cosmetic Dentist

Do Dental X-Rays Really Cause Brain Tumors?

Thursday, April 12, 2012

The big health headlines yesterday talked about a study done at Yale University that connected frequent dental x-rays with a type of non-cancerous brain tumor.

Do you really need to worry when we say we need to take an x-ray? The answer is not really. Yes, dental x-rays do expose you to radiation but only a tiny amount. You get about the same amount of radiation flying across country and you probably aren't going to cancel your California vacation because of it.

The study was published in the American Cancer Society's online journal. It looked at more than 1400 people who had been diagnosed with a tumor called a meningioma. Meningioma is rare, occurring in only 8 out of every 100,000 people. Even so it is the most commonly diagnosed brain tumor. The average age of the patients in the study was 57 and they were asked to remember how often they had received dental x-rays from childhood to adulthood.

Patients with meningioma were twice as likely to have reported getting dental x-rays every year. The study author, Dr. Elizabeth Claus said "We know people will be concerned but we are not telling people they should stop going to see their dentist." Dr. Claus went on to acknowledge that most of the patients had received dental x-rays over most of their lives using old technology which gave off much higher doses of radiation.

NBC Nightly News did a very informative segment on the study and their experts not only questioned the higher radiation levels due to the age of the study participants but also took issue with the fact that dental records weren't used -- only the memories of those involved which they suggested could be unreliable. (I don't know about you but I would find it impossible to remember how many dental x-rays I have had in my life).

Please know that we only order the x-rays that we really need and that we use digital radiography which greatly reduces the amount of radiation involved. Patients are also protected by aprons and thyroid collars.

Unfortunately, dental x-rays are here to stay because no other technology allows us to "see" oral health problems that cannot be found with a visual or physical examination. Infections, abscesses, cracked teeth and even oral cancers are discovered using radiographs -- just remember, we only do the ones we need to ensure your health. Please contact Dr. Kenneth A. Mogell, DMD at 561-394-9000 to schedule your next appointment.

Labels: dental x-rays

Kenneth A. Mogell, D.M.D.

 

---