Congress Epublish 2 citations
OpenAlex: W4362704063 DOI: 10.1016/j.jrras.2023.100571
Survey of quality control of panoramic X-ray machines in private dental clinics in Saudi Arabia
J RADIAT RES APPL SC 16(2):100571-100571
Authors: Haitham Alahmad, Mohammed Alnafea
Affiliations
- Radiological Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 145111, Riyadh, 4545, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the compliance of private dental clinics operating panoramic X-ray machines in Saudi Arabia with the quality control (QC) requirements. Sixty-four private dental clinics in different areas of Saudi Arabia were selected to participate in the study. Quality control tests were performed on 64 panoramic X-ray machines from different manufacturers. In this study, kilovoltage accuracy, kilovoltage reproducibility, exposure time reproducibility, beam quality in terms of half-value layer (HVL), beam alignment and collimation, leakage, and scatter survey were evaluated for all 64 machines. Of the surveyed machines, 17% did not pass the kilovoltage accuracy test while passing the rest of the quality control (QC) tests. The average deviation from the nominal kV settings was 16.8% (±2.4%). The remaining machines (83%) were within acceptable limits and passed all quality control (QC) tests. Establishing a QC program in private dental clinics operating radiation-producing machines such as panoramic x-ray machines is essential to ensure their compliance with the national standards for radiation safety. Extra attention should be paid to the accuracy of the machine kilovoltage as it was a significant cause of machine failure in QC testing in this study.
MeSH
Quality Control, Dental Clinics