Dental CT Shielding Guidelines

Radiation shielding plan review approval must be obtained from the Radiation Safety Section for dental CT installations. In addition, a Certificate of Need must first be obtained prior to offering dental CT services. The Radiation Safety Section will not register a dental CT scanner until a Certificate of Need is obtained and a radiation shielding plan review is completed. Registration is required before a machine may be legally used.

Conventional drywall structures may provide sufficient shielding for dental CT scanners depending on workload, occupancy and distance to adjacent areas. We recommend, however, that the enclosure be shielded with 1/32 inch lead equivalency to ensure adequate protection and to allow growth in workload without requiring what could be costly modifications to upgrade the shielding.

An operator's barrier should be provided that is equivalent to 1/16 inch lead and extend from the floor to a height of 7 feet. The barrier should be provided with a lead glass viewing window of the same lead equivalency. The exposure switch should be fastened behind the operator's barrier at least 40 inches from the open end of the barrier.