Biological effects and radiation protection in the dental office.

In conclusion, it is important to point out that dentistry's contribution to the United States population's radiation exposure is small. Significant improvements have been made, but since dentistry is only one of the contributors to the population's total exposure to radiation, it is important that we make every effort to keep our contribution as low as is practical. Unnecessary exposure should be reduced whenever possible but this should not be used to deter the practitioner from obtaining radiographs when they are clinically indicated. It is very likely that the risk to the United States population resulting from failure to obtain adequate diagnostic information when radiographs are indicated is considerably greater than any risk resulting from their use.