At the time, people feared that the health impact of radiation exposure fromX-rayscould pass down to their children.
But after decades of research, theres no evidence to confirm this concern.
Over the years, what weve seen is that really has not held up in human populations.
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The ADA isnt the first major association to recommend discontinuing the use of lead aprons.
The American Association of Physicists in Medicine shared a similar position in 2019.
Is It Safe to Ditch the Lead Aprons During X-Rays?
Scientists know more about radiation now, but X-ray technology has also advanced.
Digital X-ray equipment uses rectangular collimation, which restricts the beam size to just the area being examined.
This can also reduce unnecessary radiation exposure during a dental X-ray.
Unnecessary X-rays are exactly what we want to avoid.
If the patient has any anxiety, it can affect the X-ray.
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Because of technological advances, radiation exposure from a dental X-ray is minimal.
A lead apron might actually block X-ray beams and prevent the technician from capturing the images accurately.
