Thyroid shields and neck exposures in cephalometric radiography

Abstract

Abstract Background The thyroid is among the more radiosensitive organs in the body. The goal of this study was twofold: (1) to evaluate age-related changes in what is exposed to ionizing radiation in the neck area, and (2) to assess thyroid shield presence in cephalometric radiographs Methods Cephalometric radiographs at one academic setting were sampled and neck exposure was related to calendar year and patient's gender and age. Results In the absence of shields, children have more vertebrae exposed than adults (p Conclusion In the absence of a thyroid shield, children have more neck structure exposed to radiation than adults. In agreement with other reports, thyroid shield utilization in this study was low, particularly in children.