title: Significant reduction in dental cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) eye dose through the use of leaded glasses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In light of the increased recognition of the potential for lens opacification after low-dose radiation exposures, we investigated the effect of leaded eyeglasses worn during dental cone-beam computerized tomography (CBCT) procedures on the radiation absorbed dose to the eye and suggest simple methods to reduce risk of radiation cataract development.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dose measurements were conducted with the use of 3 anthropomorphic phantoms: male (Alderson radiation therapy phantom), female (CIRS), and juvenile male (CIRS). All exposures were performed on the same dental CBCT machine (Imtec, Ardmore, OK) using 2 different scanning techniques but with identical machine parameters (120 kVp, 3.8 mA, 7.8 s). Scans were performed with and without leaded glasses and repeated 3 times. All measurements were recorded using calibrated thermoluminescent dosimeters and optical luminescent dosimetry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Leaded glasses worn by adult and pediatric patients during CBCT scans may reduce radiation dose to the lens of the eye by as much as 67% (from 0.135 ± 0.004 mGy to 0.044 ± 0.002 mGy in pediatric patients).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Leaded glasses do not appear to have a deleterious effect on the image quality in the area of clinical significance for dental imaging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prins
authors.forename: L T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Dauer
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Colosi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Kleiman
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Bohle
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Holohan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Najjar
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonvento
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Faber
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ching
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Goren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000528:radiation effects; D002386:Cataract / Q000517:prevention & control; D002675:Child, Preschool; D054893:Cone-Beam Computed Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D005123:Eye / Q000528:radiation effects*; D005135:Eye Protective Devices; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000528:radiation effects; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008297:Male; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011861:Radiography, Dental / Q000379:methods*; D013819:Thermoluminescent Dosimetry