X-Ray Risks nearly irrelevant in today’s periodontal practice
MSNBC.com reported recently that studies by scientists at Harvard and Yale determined hightened risk of tumor development in dental patients who were exposed regularly to X-Rays at their dental practices.
Though the risk can be real, related tumors are nearly always benign and do not result in cancer-related deaths. Further, the risk factors are nearly irrelevant for patients today since most modern practices do not overly rely on frequent X-Rays to make diagnoses or advance procedures.
Even the study’s participating scientists wanted to be clear about the main take-away for patients: “Our take home message is don’t panic. Don’t stop going to the dentist,” said the lead author of the study, Dr. Elizabeth Claus, a neurological surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and the Yale School of Public Health.
You can read more about the study here.
