Holiday Mission: Find a Dentist Who Will Clean My Family's Teeth Without Mandatory Fluoride and X-Rays (Part 2)
All five dental offices have responded to my inquiry. Each practice assured me that they neither mandate fluoride treatments nor x-rays. They proceeded to explain that they do, however, require an x-ray for all new patients, as well as follow-up x-rays to check for cavities. It is the gold standard. In other words… they’ll clean my family’s teeth, but first I must to consent to exposure to radiation, preferably every six months.
Their responses were all so similar! Has the dental industry created ‘standards of care’ while marketing services that require acceptance of risks associated with radiation exposure?
A recent meta-analysis1 in the journal Thyroid concluded:
‘Based on a meta-analysis of retrospective case/control studies, these findings provide some support to the hypothesis that multiple (or repeated) exposures to dental X-rays may be associated with an increased risk of thyroid cancer and meningioma.’
In an article2 published by British Dental Journal, the author explains:
'These organs will be exposed to radiation from dental X-rays. Both organs are highly radiosensitive, particularly in childhood and adolescence. Dental radiography, a source of low-dose diagnostic radiation, is often overlooked as a potential hazard to these organs'.
“We do not mandate x-rays. Call our number TODAY to schedule your New Patient Visit (which requires an x-ray.) FREE FLUORIDE TREATMENT if you call before January 31!”
Memon A, Rogers I, Paudyal P, Sundin J. Dental x-rays and the risk of thyroid cancer and meningioma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of current epidemiological evidence. Thyroid 2019; DOI: 10.1089/thy.2019.0105