Absorbed bone marrow dose in certain dental radiographic techniques.

Dosages of radiation absorbed in the bone marrow of the calvaria, mandible, and cervical spine were measured during dental diagnostic exposures using intraoral, panoramic, and cephalometric radiographic techniques. The use of rectangular collimation in intraoral radiography reduced the total absorbed dose to the bone marrow of the mandible and cervical spine. Doses from the dental radiographic techniques are compared with environmental levels of background irradiation.