ASSESSMENT OF RADIATION ATTENUATION BY LEAD AND LEAD FREE APRONS IN THE INTRAORAL RADIOGRAPHIC PROCEDURES- AN EXPERIMENTAL DOSIMETRIC STUDY

Abstract

Introduction:Radiographic imaging plays a vital role in the diagnosis and management of dental conditions, with intraoral periapical radiography being routinely used in dental practice. Although the radiation exposure from individual dental radiographic procedures is relatively low, repeated exposure necessitate appropriate radiation protective measures due to cumulative effect. The physical features and heaviness of radioprotective aprons may influence their acceptance and usage among dental practitioners. Therefore, evaluation of alternative apron compositions may provide useful information regarding their protection efficiency. Materials and Methods: An edosimetric study was conducted to assess the radiation protection efficiency of four composition apron materials such as lead, bismuth, bismuth–titanium–zircon, and cloth aprons. Intraoral periapical radiographic exposures were performed at 70 kVp with an exposure time of 0.8 seconds. For each exposure, a mannequin wearing each of the four different apron materials was positioned 2 m from the X-ray source, and the radiation levels were recorded using two digital dosimeters. The measured radiation levels were used to assess the attenuation provided by the different apron materials. Results: The results demonstrated variation in radiation attenuation among the four aprons used. The bismuth–titanium zircon apron showed highest attenuation followed by lead and bismuth aprons, whereas the cloth apron demonstrated markedly lower attenuation negligible attenuation. The bismuth apron showed the attenuation comparable to that of lead apron. Conclusion: The findings demonstrated variation in the radiation attenuation efficiency among four different aprons evaluated during intraoral radiographic technique. The bismuth–titanium–zircon based aprons demonstrated higher attenuation and showed potential as alternatives to lead apron. In contrast, cloth aprons provide inadequate attenuation cannot be considered an effective substitution for radiation protection aprons. Further studies are warranted to evaluate other radioprotective apron materials at different X-ray energies and during various extra oral radiographic techniques.