REVISITING CHANGES IN DEP REGULATIONS
In January 2019 , the Department of Environmental Protection ( DEP ) updated its regulations regarding radiological health . These changes most notably impacted dental offices with Cone Beam-Computed Tomography ( CBCT ) machines , but there were also minor regulation changes impacting all dental offices .
Recently , PDA was informed by DEP that they are discovering many dental offices unaware that these regulation changes took place . In an effort to keep you informed regarding important regulations impacting your dental practice , here is an overview of the changes :
For offices with CBCT machines
For offices with CBCT machines , these updated quality control regulations must be adhered to :
221.64 CBCT
( a ) The following radiation measurements shall be evaluated annually and as soon as practical after a component repair or change , which in the opinion of the qualified medical physicist ( QMP ) or qualified expert ( QE ), may affect the performance of the CBCT unit :
( 1 ) Beam alignment . The X-ray field in the plane of the image receptor may not exceed beyond the edge of the image receptor by more than 2 % of the source-image receptor distance ( SID ), when the axis of the X-ray beam is perpendicular to the plane of the image receptor . In addition , the center of the X-ray field must be aligned with the center of the image receptor to within 2 % of the SID .
( 2 ) A performance evaluation shall be performed by or under the direct supervision of a QMP or QE . The evaluation shall follow nationally-recognized standards and tolerances or those recommended by the manufacturer . The evaluation shall be performed within 30 days of initial installation , at intervals not to exceed 14 months , and within 30 days after any change or replacement of components which could cause a change in the radiation output or image quality .
( 3 ) The registrant shall document and implement quality control ( QC ) guidelines in accordance with nationallyrecognized guidelines .
24 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL