A statement from Dr. Paul S. Levine in regards to the recent study done linking dental x-rays and brain tumors:A recent study published in the news media talked about X-rays and their cause of brain tumors. Please note this was a very poorly done study and I am not quite sure how it got published.
The study was done in only very select cities. They chose 1400+ random people between the ages of 20 and 79. They asked these patients to rely on memory only of X-rays taken and not actual records of what was done. They compared those to approximately 1300 random people of the same age, race, and sex information.
They did not take into account the newer X-rays that many dentists use that cut significantly cut down on radiation. The study also uses a measure of radiation not used in the last 10 plus years. The study showed that people who just had double bitewings had a higher rate of significance than those that had a full mouth set of X-rays (which numbers 5 times the number of X-rays).
Another important thing to remember is that the time of brain tumor associated with the study is rarely malignant and is the exact same type of tumor that other studies associate with cell phone use. They never talked to any dentists about the different type of X-rays or data collection which I think greatly affects the study.
As always we highly recommend that you talk to your dental care professional about any type of treatment that you are receiving whether it is preventive or major.
The Chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society has also noted, “More data is needed before we can begin to state there is a relationship and these tumors.”
-Paul S. Levine D.D.S.
Milwaukee, WI
