Answer to Question #12824 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Medical and Dental Equipment/Shielding

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

Q

I was told that older dental x-ray units were powered down between uses to avoid radiation leakage. Is this a concern for modern dental x-ray units? Should I be powering down the units between patients to avoid excess radiation, or is radiation only emitted when the operator is pushing the exposure button?

A

Any x-ray unit only makes x-ray radiation when the exposure button is activated, so there is no issue with radiation leakage any time the exposure button is not pushed. I have not run across any x-ray unit that needed to be turned off between patients (old or new).

As for why someone may power down older units between patients, I can only speculate that it may help cooling of the unit or it may just be an issue of a quirky unit that doesn't always work the way it should. The latter, however, seems to be an issue more when a something is controlled by computer that needs to be restarted frequently.

Kennith "Duke" Lovins, CHP

Answer posted on 11 February 2019. The information posted on this web page is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may affect the applicability of concepts, materials, and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice. To the best of our knowledge, answers are correct at the time they are posted. Be advised that over time, requirements could change, new data could be made available, and Internet links could change, affecting the correctness of the answers. Answers are the professional opinions of the expert responding to each question; they do not necessarily represent the position of the Health Physics Society.