Faculty Bibliography

The purpose of this study was to measure juvenile patient radiation dose to organs of the head and neck during digital panoramic and cephalometric radiography using anthropomorphic CIRS phantoms at 5 and 10-years-old with nanoDot optically stimulated luminescent dosimeters (OSLDs). OSLDs were placed at 21 head and neck organ sites of the phantom heads. Phantom heads were subjected to panoramic and cephalometric imaging protocols using manufacturers’ predefined exposure settings. Radiation dose fractions to various organ sites were determined using reference values from the ICRP-89 document. Organ equivalent doses and overall effective doses were based on ICRP-103 tissue weighting factors. Overall measured organ doses were higher for the 5-year-old than for the 10-year-old for both the panoramic and the cephalometric imaging protocols. The highest doses seen were in the salivary glands, extrathoracic airway, and the oral mucosa. The organ equivalent dose in microsieverts (microSv) also yielded similar results. The effective dose for the 5-year-old was 27.8 microSv for the panoramic and 6.5 microSv for the cephalometric, while the 10-year-old results were 26.3 µSv for the panoramic and 3.8 µSv for the cephalometric. The effective doses estimated for this study for the 5-year-old and 10-year-old during cephalometric procedures are lower than the US natural background reading of 8.5 microSv per day and lower than the US average exposure per day of 17 microSv. The effective doses estimated in this study for the panoramic procedure for both phantoms were above the natural background and above the national average per day. These data support the notion that child-appropriate technique factors and geometry factors should be used for panoramic and cephalometric imaging protocols

This article aims to find out how the dental students at New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) evaluate the balance between the amount of theory taught and practice time allotted in cavity preparation presented in General Dentistry Simulation I so that recommendations to improve the curriculum can be formulated. An IRB approved anonymous six-question survey questionnaire was distributed to the dental students in the second (D2), third (D3) and fourth (D4) year at NYUCD. The questionnaire consisted of scaled responses so as to gain insight into the undergraduate opinion and their perception of whether the amount of theory and practice of cavity preparation presented in General Dentistry Simulation I was sufficient. Overall, the majority of the dental students felt that there was enough theory and practice for cavity preparation. The second year students want more theory and the third year students want more practice time.