Awareness and Practices Regarding Radiation Safety Among Dental Students

Abstract

Background: Dental radiography is integral to contemporary clinical decision-making, yet ionizing radiation entails preventable occupational and patient exposure risks; adherence to radiation protection principles such as ALARA is therefore essential during undergraduate clinical training. Objective: To assess dental students’ awareness, attitudes, and clinical practices regarding radiation safety and to examine associations of training exposure and academic level with key protective behaviors. Methods: A cross-sectional observational survey was conducted over two months among 203 undergraduate dental students selected by convenience sampling. A structured, literature-informed online questionnaire captured demographics, training exposure, knowledge/awareness, attitudes, and self-reported radiation safety practices. Descriptive statistics summarized responses, and chi-square tests assessed associations between selected variables, reporting effect sizes using Cramér’s V. Analyses were performed in SPSS v25 with two-sided significance set at p<0.05. Results: Most students were familiar with radiation health risks (82.8%). Reported adherence to ALARA was 47.3%, while lead apron use was 30.5% and access to protective equipment was 27.1%. Formal training was significantly associated with ALARA adherence (χ²=9.016, df=2, p=0.011; Cramér’s V=0.21), and year of study was significantly associated with lead apron use (χ²=13.602, df=4, p=0.009; Cramér’s V=0.26). Most students endorsed strengthening curriculum coverage of radiation safety (90.1% agree/strongly agree). Conclusion: Despite high awareness, radiation safety practices were suboptimal; structured training and academic progression were associated with better compliance, supporting longitudinal, competency-based instruction and improved access to protective resources.