464 - Impact of an Infographic on Perceptions of Discontinuing Lead Shielding

Abstract:

Purpose: In February 2024, the American Dental Association published updated recommendations for discontinuing routine patient shielding during dental radiographs. However, limited data exists regarding caregiver understanding of and attitudes toward discontinuing lead shielding in the pediatric dental setting. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate whether an educational infographic improves caregiver understanding of updated radiation safety recommendations and willingness to forgo lead shielding during dental radiographs. Secondary objectives included assessing comfort with the updated protocol and demographic factors associated with caregiver perceptions and acceptance.



Methods: This prospective pre-post survey study recruited caregivers of pediatric patients receiving dental radiographs at the Yale New Haven Hospital Pediatric Dental Center between January and August 2025. Eligible participants were caregivers of children who had not undergone radiographic imaging since the updated implementation of the recommended protocol. A total of 215 caregivers consented and completed the survey. The pre-intervention portion collected demographic information and evaluated baseline awareness and comfort with the updated recommendations. Participants then reviewed an educational infographic on radiation safety principles, ALARA concepts, and relative radiation exposure, followed by the post-intervention portion, which assessed willingness to forgo lead shielding. Future descriptive analyses will use all available, validated responses (n=206), while pre-post comparisons will be restricted to participants who completed paired items (n=181).

Results: Of the 215 surveys collected, 206 paired surveys met inclusion and completeness criteria and were included in the final analysis.

Conclusions: Results and conclusions are pending final data analysis

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