Some dentists, patients clash over X-rays
Friday, April 27, 2012
BEND, Ore. (AP) -- Some Central Oregon dentists are dropping patients who refuse to get X-rays for routine cleaning appointments.
The Bulletin of Bend (http://bit.ly/IwlFre ) reports that dentists who used to agree to patients' requests for defer X-rays are more likely to insist on them now.
The dentists say a recent newsletter from their state licensing board calls for current X-rays, and many interpret that as meaning within a year. The Bulletin says the newsletter may have led dentists to take X-rays more often than national guidelines would suggest.
Those guidelines call for routine X-rays in adults with no apparent risk factors or periodontal disease every 18 to 36 months. Other experts add that the timing depends on each patient's situation.
But, in any case, they say, X-rays can't be put off indefinitely.
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Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com
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