Difference between Curved Tomography and Oral Panorama

Generally speaking, the radiation dose of oral related imaging examination is relatively small. The general oral panoramic film is also called oral curved tomography, and its radiation is about 22 microsieverts. Compared with small dental tablets, its radiation dose must be large. Because the radiation dose of small dental tablets is only 1 microsievert, one oral panoramic film is equivalent to taking 22 small dental tablets. Of course, oral panoramic films are much larger than small dental tablets. However, if we compare the oral panoramic film with CBCT, which is often done in stomatology. Oral panoramic film is about half that of CT film, and the radiation of oral CBCT is about 50 microsieverts.

However, CBCT in stomatology is very different from ordinary large spiral CT. A large spiral CT is 40 times as radiation as CBCT in stomatology. From this point of view, oral panoramic film is equivalent to one eightieth of the radiation dose of large CT.