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Answer to Question #360 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"Category: Pregnancy and Radiation — Exposures not directly to embryo/fetus The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field: Q
I am 32 weeks pregnant and have had about 10 dental x-ray
exposures since week 24 of pregnancy. Does this represent any risk for
the baby? Is there a limit of exposures during pregnancy?
A
This is a good question and one that often comes up for a mother but
rarely gets asked. I think you’ll be glad to know there is no cause for
concern. Dental x rays, as with most x rays, are taken with the machine
focused right on the area where the x rays need to go. Because of this
there is virtually no exposure to anything other than the item of
interest (in this case, a tooth or teeth). While dental x rays would
not expose your baby, there could be exposure of the baby if you had
abdominal or pelvic x rays. In case you’re interested, after week 20
the baby is fairly insensitive to radiation exposure—relative to the
first 12 weeks of gestation. So, there are two things working in your
favor!
Thank you for the question.
Kelly Classic Certified Medical Health Physicist
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