With the rise in cancer and related illnesses, people have turned to radiation with great fear, suspicion and concern. When these medical procedures are needed, the benefits far outweigh the risks. However, like all things, there tends to be overutilization and hence the potential for problems. The price of safety depends on the degree of protection that society demands. Absolute safety from man-made sources of radiation is only possible by entirely eliminating those sources.
Relative safety entails relative costs and concessions and are a part of modern civilized life.
More studies must be conducted on radiological health hazards, especially from long term low doses of radiation. The areas of concentration to minimize exposure are the equipment, the technique and the judicious use of clinical judgement and needs assessment. There are currently some 280,000 x-ray units in the United States, of which 135,000 are used by dental practitioners. Approximately two thirds of the population of the U.S. are x-rayed every two years for medical and dental procedures. It is important to evaluate the total cummulative effect of direct and indirect radiation on ionization on positive and negative changes on cells which can in turn create abnormalitities in body processes.