To the Editor:
The Onondaga County Dental Society recognizes the general concerns of our patients about dental X-rays and the alleged potential risk of radiation exposure. A recent study reported in the local media has raised the concern about dental X-rays that we feel are invalid. In our opinion, the study, alleging a connection between frequent dental X-rays and the benign meningioma brain tumor, is flawed. (See ''Dental x-rays and risk of meningioma,'' in the journal Cancer, bit.ly/HwspDv. )
It was done in the absence of good epidemiology methods and lacks scientific, evidence-based conclusions. Participants with an average age of 57.5 years were asked to report the number of times they received X-rays when they were 10 years or younger. The use of validated dental records was limited, and the reliance for accuracy was based on memory recall. This type of retrospective study is memory-biased, imperfect and an unreliable way to report statistical data.
The study suggested a potential correlation, not a cause and effect. The study had numerous limitations including, but not limited to, over- or underestimating the number of dental X-rays received; also, dental X-rays had slower film speeds and higher radiation values than today's higher film speeds and/or the use of digital radiology, both with substantially lower radiation exposure.
No consideration was given to air pollution, pesticides, sitting close to television sets or the use of cell phones. Dental X-rays are used within the guidelines set by the American Dental Association and the National Council on Radiation Protection & Measurements. Today, the X-ray beam is more focused and emits much less radiation than in the past. An individual can receive more radiation playing two rounds of golf, traveling in an airplane or just doing yard work in the sun than with the routine dental X-ray.
Use of dental imaging is based on a professional judgment to make a diagnosis of a potential disease that can include, but not be limited to, dental decay, abscessed teeth and bone tumors of the jaw structures. The proper use of dental X-rays aids your dentist to save natural teeth and to prevent systemic diseases. There is no specific timeframe or frequency with which dental X-rays should be taken. According to the American Dental Association, the judicial use of dental X-rays depends on the patient's oral health condition, age, risk for disease and any signs or symptoms of oral disease that a patient may be experiencing.
I do not believe any surgeon would do a procedure without imaging, nor do I believe that a patient would want any surgeon or dentist to do a procedure in which he or she had to guess the target area. Dentists should not be expected to do any dental procedure without the necessary dental X-ray.
To all of our dental patients, we recommend continued trust in your dentist when he or she informs you that a dental X-ray is needed to help make a definitive diagnosis and treatment plan. If you do not understand the reason the X-ray is needed, interact with your dentist and have a conversation, asking him or her to explain what he or she is looking for.
Media hype reporting conclusions from memory-biased or poorly designed studies only confuse patients and make the task of treating patients for the dental and medical professions more difficult. Our message is don't believe every scientific test result you read or hear reported in the news. Many of those results are sensationalized and leave a negative effect, causing the patient to be fearful and unable to understand the recommendations that arise concerning their health care.
Bruce H. Seidberg, D.D.S. is president of the Onondaga County Dental Society.
Study linking dental X-rays with brain tumors flawed
To the Editor: