Here we outline the most significant updates made to the Guidance Notes for Dental Practitioners on the Safe Use of X-ray Equipment 2nd Edition (2020). This is designed to provide you with an overview of the most important changes, and abridged extracts are included. However, members are advised to refer to the original document for complete information. This page was updated in May 2025.
Advice on guidance: Safe use of X-ray equipment 2nd edition
This advice gives an overview on the legislation affecting the use of X-ray equipment in the dental practice.
Contents
- Registering with the Health and Safety Executive
- Controlled areas - warning signs and/or warning lights
- Dose monitoring of persons who enter controlled areas
- Investigating contingency plans when activated and rehearsing for them
- Monitoring radiation levels at the boundaries of controlled areas
- Employers co-operating when employees work on another employer’s premises
- CBCT - training required for referrers, practitioners and operators
- Optimisation of patient dose
- Acceptance testing and routine testing
- Quality Assurance of digital imaging systems and viewing screens
- Quality Assurance of image quality rating and analysis
- Service engineers and the testing of dental X-ray equipment
- Disposal or selling on of X-ray equipment
- Record retention times for Ionising Radiation Regulations 2017 (IRR17) and Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 (IRMER17)
- Appendices to note