title: [The dental radiograph: pitfalls and surprises].
abstract: Guidelines allow retakes of dental radiographs of up to 10%. In the general practice the percentage of retakes is considerably higher. In intraoral radiography film positioning and faults in directing the collimator are the most common reasons for retakes. The use of film holders and correctly aiming the collimator decrease the risk of failure. In panoramic radiography the positioning of the patient in the x-ray machine and the palatoglossal air space are the main causes of failure of radiographs. A systematic approach, a thorough check of the radiation area for artefacts and the use of the available laser lines decrease the risk of a diagnostically unacceptable radiograph.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bakx
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Syriopoulos
mesh_terms: D016477:Artifacts; D006801:Humans; D061214:Patient Safety; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D011861:Radiography, Dental / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*