A survey of the radiographic practices of general dentists for edentulous patients.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the study was to evaluate the radiographic practice of general dentists for edentulous patients.

STUDY DESIGN

A questionnaire was sent to a sample of graduates from the two Ontario dental schools.

RESULTS

The adjusted response rate for the survey was 80%. Fifty-three percent of the respondents used screening radiography for new patients. The overwhelming choice for these dentists was the panoramic film. There was a significant positive association between ownership of a panoramic unit and use of this radiograph. Dentists who do not own a panoramic unit rarely chose to refer their patients for this radiograph either routinely or selectively. When dentists, rather than the auxiliaries, made the greater proportion of the radiographs, they tended to use selective radiography. Most dentists chose selective radiography for the recall patient.

CONCLUSIONS

Almost half the dentists did not follow the Food and Drug Administration/American Dental Association guideline of screening radiography for the new edentulous patient. Of those dentists who did follow the guideline the vast majority both owned panoramic units and chose to use a panoramic survey. Most dentists followed the guideline for selective radiography for the recall patient.