Which unit is commonly used to express the effective dose of radiation in dental imaging?

Which unit is commonly used to express the effective dose of radiation in dental imaging?

• A. Gray (Gy)
• B. Millisievert (mSv)
• C. Sievert (Sv)
• D. Rontgen (R)

Answer: (D)

Effective dose reflects the overall risk by weighting the absorbed energy by how sensitive different tissues are to radiation, so it’s expressed in sieverts. In dental imaging, the amounts are very small, so we usually use millisieverts, a subunit of the sievert, to convey the practical dose. Gray measures absorbed dose (energy per mass) and doesn’t account for biological effect, while roentgen is an older unit of exposure in air and isn’t used for calculating or reporting effective dose. Hence, millisieverts are the commonly used unit for the effective dose in dental imaging.

Effective dose reflects the overall risk by weighting the absorbed energy by how sensitive different tissues are to radiation, so it’s expressed in sieverts. In dental imaging, the amounts are very small, so we usually use millisieverts, a subunit of the sievert, to convey the practical dose. Gray measures absorbed dose (energy per mass) and doesn’t account for biological effect, while roentgen is an older unit of exposure in air and isn’t used for calculating or reporting effective dose. Hence, millisieverts are the commonly used unit for the effective dose in dental imaging.