Dosimetry Badges
Are personal radiation monitors required?
Records of exposure to radiation must be kept. Regulations allow an exception to monitoring if it can be demonstrated that no employee is exposed to more than 10% of the maximum allowable annual dose, which is 5 rems. If a dental office meets this exception, it is recommended that monitoring occur periodically to ensure that exposure does not exceed this amount. That is, employees can wear the dosimetry badges for one year so that a baseline level of exposure is established, and then monitoring can be performed every 3-5 years thereafter, as long as no significant exposure is demonstrated.
Declared pregnant employees who operate x-ray machinery must wear personal x-ray monitoring devices for the entire duration of pregnancy, or for as long as the employer knew about the pregnancy.
(Information provided by the CDA, 6/19/2007)