Serpa Geraldo Fagundes, Maracci Lucas Machado, Ortigara Gabriela Barbieri, Spin-Neto Rubens, Liedke Gabriela Salatino
Department of Stomatology, Section for Oral Radiology, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Av. Roraima nº 1000, Santa Maria-RS, 26F-2111, 97105-900, Brazil.
Postgraduate Program in Dental Sciences, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil.
Oral Radiol. 2025 Mar 22. doi: 10.1007/s11282-025-00817-2.
To assess patients' knowledge and possible misconceptions regarding imaging exams and their association to ionizing radiation.
Patients who sought dental care at the Federal University of Santa Maria Dental School (Brazil) were invited to enroll in the study. Patients filled out a questionnaire that covered demographic information, knowledge regarding imaging exams, X-rays, dental radiographs, and information sources (internet or dentist/physician). Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test.
Two hundred thirty-five participants were enrolled (mean age 44 ± 15 years), of whom 60% were female and 68% had at least 8 years of formal education. Most participants (74.5%) reported knowing what X-rays are. When questioned if the following exams used X-rays, the majority said radiographs used X-rays (91.5%), but mistakes were revealed for tomography (51.7%), mammography (59.4%), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (40.2%). Gender, educational level, and reported knowledge about X-rays were not associated with correct answers (P > 0.05). Younger patients answered more accurately that ultrasound (P = 0.009) and MRI (P = 0.025) do not use X-rays, and older patients correctly associated mammography with X-rays (P < 0.001). Patients whose information source was the internet tended to incorrectly state that mammography (P = 0.007) and tomography (P = 0.063) did not use X-rays.
Patients often fail to differentiate the imaging exams that use X-rays, despite reporting that they understand what X-rays are. Dentists should be aware of the misconceptions patients may encounter when using the internet as a source of information and provide clearer guidance about acquisition and purpose of imaging exams, with emphasis on radiation protection.
评估患者对影像检查及其与电离辐射关联的知识和可能存在的误解。
邀请在巴西圣玛丽亚联邦大学牙科学院寻求牙科护理的患者参与研究。患者填写一份问卷，内容涵盖人口统计学信息、关于影像检查、X射线、牙科X光片以及信息来源（互联网或牙医/医生）的知识。使用描述性统计和卡方检验进行数据分析。
共招募了235名参与者（平均年龄44±15岁），其中60%为女性，68%至少接受过8年正规教育。大多数参与者（74.5%）表示知道X射线是什么。当被问及以下检查是否使用X射线时，大多数人表示X光片使用X射线（91.5%），但在断层扫描（51.7%）、乳房X光检查（59.4%）和磁共振成像（MRI）（40.2%）方面出现了错误认知。性别、教育水平以及报告的关于X射线的知识与正确答案无关（P>0.05）。年轻患者更准确地回答出超声（P=0.009）和MRI（P=0.025）不使用X射线，而老年患者正确地将乳房X光检查与X射线联系起来（P<0.001）。信息来源为互联网的患者往往错误地认为乳房X光检查（P=0.007）和断层扫描（P=0.063）不使用X射线。
尽管患者表示了解X射线是什么，但他们常常无法区分使用X射线的影像检查。牙医应意识到患者在将互联网作为信息来源时可能遇到的误解，并就影像检查的获取和目的提供更清晰的指导，重点是辐射防护。
