Answer to Question #9504 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 Just had a panoramic film made at the dental office. The technician forgot to have me remove my metal-framed glasses prior to the scan. The technician did not redo the scan without the glasses. Could having my metal eyeglass frames on during the scan have goofed up the scan or caused any unwanted radiation results?
A
I had to consult with one of our school of dentistry faculty members regarding how metal-framed eyeglasses might affect panoramic dental images. The faculty member indicated that although it is standard procedure to remove glasses prior to panoramic imaging, not doing so would not generally interfere with viewing the dental structures. The lack of removing the eyeglasses would be somewhat of a novice error.
With respect to whether or not the presence of the eyeglasses would have caused any unwanted radiation results (presumably meaning higher radiation exposure to the patient), while there might be some small amount of scattering of the x rays from the eyeglasses, it would be very low and not considered significant.
Mack L. Richard, MS, CHP
With respect to whether or not the presence of the eyeglasses would have caused any unwanted radiation results (presumably meaning higher radiation exposure to the patient), while there might be some small amount of scattering of the x rays from the eyeglasses, it would be very low and not considered significant.
Mack L. Richard, MS, CHP
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