Evaluation of radiation-induced cancer risk to patients undergoing panoramic dental radiographies using experimental measurements and simulations

Abstract

Patient doses related with panoramic dental radiographies are comparatively low, but the frequency at which these examinations are taken is high. Hence, it is necessary to justify these examinations to ensure that doses to patients, especially children are kept as low as reasonably allowable. The risk of exposure-induced cancer deaths to the four standard age groups, comprising 5-, 10-,15-year-olds and adults were evaluated in this research. The mean REIDs were estimated based on the patients’ age, mass, height, gender, as well as the input doses, exposure factors, beam geometries and simulation parameters. The respective ranges of REID estimates (per ten million) were 6.45-2.04 for males, 8.32-2.62 for females; 7.45-2.51 for males, 9.02-3.62 for females; 8.50-2.03 for males, 11.02-4.12 for females; 7.99-2.65 for males, 10.52-3.90 for females; 8.45-1.95 for males, 10.68-3.09 for females; 9.85-3.21 for males, 11.05-4.09 for females. Individual radiogenic cancers were observed for leukaemia, lung cancers, liver cancers, stomach cancers and other cancers for all ages and gender. Breast cancer was observed in female patients, with negligible risk in males. In an instance, the respective REIDs for the cancer types for the age groups were 2846.00×10-9-786.00×10-9 in males, 2415.00 ×10-9-613.00×10-9 in females; 630.00×10-9-147.00×10-9 in males, 1114.00×10-9-240.00×10-9 in females; 19.99×10-9-3.89×10-9 in males, 9.56×10-9-1.89×10-9 in females; 26.65×10-9-5.40×10-9 in males, 28.45×10-9-6.60×10-9 in females; 15230.00×10-8-2560.00×10-8 in males, 18790.00×10-9-4499.00×10-9 in females; and 2250.00×10-10-78.00×10-10 in females only. According to the findings of this study, radiation exposure generally increased the risk of cancer in youngsters more than adults, and more in female patients compared to male patients.