How often should I get dental x-rays?

My dentist offered me bitewing x-rays yesterday. From the chair, I asked Twitter whether I needed them.

https://twitter.com/afrakt/status/529380232881766400

I received two, informative replies. First, oral surgeon Sarah Davies, DDS, MD suggested annual bitewings and “maybe” panoramic x-rays every five years. Second, NYU Associate Professor Heather Gold pointed me to these ADA/FDA recommendations. If I’m reading them correctly (and this is based on just a quick look), I believe they recommend posterior bitewing x-rays on 1.5-3 year intervals.

Anyone with knowledge or references have anything else to say on this matter? Comments open for one week from date of posting.

P.S./pro tip: Future Austin or you can pull this post up for reference the next time the dentist offers x-rays. That’s why I’m posting this.

P.P.S.: More here, the upshot to which is don’t get bitewing x-rays annually.

@afrakt

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Austin Frakt

Austin Frakt, PhD, is co-Editor-in-Chief of The Incidental Economist and tweets at @afrakt. His day job is Director of the Partnered Evidence-based Policy Resource Center at the Boston VA Healthcare System, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He is also a Professor with the Department of Health Law, Policy and Management at the Boston University’s School of Public Health, a Principal Research Scientist with the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Health Services Research.

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