ASSESSMENT OF THE ADEQUACY OF INTRAORAL X-RAY EQUIPMENT TO THE ORDINANCE 453/1998 OF THE HEALTH SURVEILLANCE SECRETARIAT

Abstract

Introduction: In Brazil, the Ordinance 453/98 of the Health Surveillance Secretariat establishes a set of guidelines for radiology services to work with safety and quality, which requires the attendance of a number of items related to X-ray equipment. Objective: To evaluate the conditions of X-ray machines in dental offices in the city of Patos, PB, with regard to the safety of users according to the Ordinance. Materials and Methods: Of the 43 dental offices visited, 35 agreed to participate. A visual inspection of the X-ray machine and an interview were carried out. The following information was collected: manufacturer, model, tension; presence of digital time selector; format and length of the locator; presence of suitable filter and aluminum equivalence; existence of the delay button; size of the wire which connects the control panel to the machine; mean duration of exposure; existence of periodic monitoring procedures and quality assurance programs. Results: Some abnormalities were observed in various offices, such as the persistence of the delay button (31.5%), and mechanical time selector (34.3%). The items most frequently found to comply with the law were the control wire length and the locator format. We also observed unawareness of the need for periodic instrument calibration. Conclusion: Many failures were observed to adopt the requirements of the Ordinance, which may be related to the lack of awareness by the professionals about the deleterious effects of ionizing radiation. Thus, it becomes necessary to perform more inspections of the offices as well as provide dentists with clarifications about the law. DESCRIPTORS: Technology. Radiology. Health Surveillance.