[ RadSafe ] Frequent dental X-rays linked to most common brain tumor

[Mohan Doss]

The article title says link observed between dental X-rays and 
meningiomas.  Inside the article it says high dose radiation used for 
dental X-rays in olden time period increased the risk for meningiomas.  
Now people who read the headline that will be well publicized, and not 
the fine print, are going to be afraid of having dental X-rays, having 
been misled into thinking current low dose dental X-rays cause 
meningiomas.  (Look out for a Dr Oz show in the near future about the 
dangers of dental X-ray exams).  Great strategy to maintain the status 
quo of low dose radio-phobia.

Mohan Doss, Ph.D., MCCPM
Medical Physicist, Diagnostic Imaging,
Associate Professor,
Fox Chase Cancer Center, R427
333 Cottman Avenue,
Philadelphia, PA 19111-2497.
Phone: 215 214-1707
Fax:   215 728-4755
E-mail:  Mohan.Doss at fccc.edu


On 4/10/2012 11:17 AM, McClung, Danny wrote:
> Mettler and Upton, Medical Effects of Ionizing Radiation, 3rd Edition, (Elsevier, 2008. Pp 137-8) states:
>
> "The potential induction of brain tumors by radiation has been examined in a large number of epidemiologic studies.  Most studies indicate that the risk in adults is low relative to that of other tissues.  Most studies also report no excess risk or a nonstatistically significant excess, particularly when exposures are less than 1 Gy".
>
> 1 Gy is a lot of dental bitewing x-rays....and probably a lifetimes worth of panoramics.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Chris Alston
> Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 11:03 AM
> To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Frequent dental X-rays linked to most common brain tumor
>
> Roy
>
> This certainly sounds intriguing.  But, without even reading it, I
> would say that it is clearly a context in which one wants to be very
> careful about claims of causality versus claims of a merely associated
> risk.  The brain is not radio-sensitive for carcinogenicity, is it?.
> What geometry of dental x-rays would induce or promote brain tumors,
> but not those of, say, the salivary glands, tongue, gums, bones of the
> jaw, or even the thyroid?
>
> I worry a lot about folks barking up the wrong tree.  Witness the
> to-do over the airport backscatter scanners, where the effective dose
> is an insignificant fraction of that incurred in the course of the
> actual airplane trip.
>
> Cheers
> cja
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: ROY HERREN<royherren2005 at yahoo.com>
> Date: Mon, Apr 9, 2012 at 11:36 PM
> Subject: [ RadSafe ] Frequent dental X-rays linked to most common brain tumor
> To: radsafe at agni.phys.iit.edu
>
>
> As luck would have it I had my annual dental X-rays just this afternoon.
>
>
> http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-frequent-dental-x-rays-linked-common.html
> Frequent dental X-rays linked to most common brain tumorApril 10, 2012 in Cancer
>
> People who received frequent dental x-rays in the past have an increased risk of
> developing the most commonly diagnosed primary brain tumor in the United States.
> That is the finding of a study published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed
> journal of the American Cancer Society. Although dental x-rays are necessary in
> many cases, these findings suggest that moderate use of this form of imaging may
> be of benefit to some patients.
>
>   Roy Herren
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