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Are frequent dental x-ray examinations associated with increased risk of vestibular schwannoma?

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Han YY, Berkowitz O, Talbott E, Kondziolka D, Donovan M, Lunsford LD. · 2012

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Regular dental X-rays doubled brain tumor risk, while cell phone use showed no association in this 343-patient study.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers studied 343 patients with vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma), a type of brain tumor that develops on the nerve connecting the ear to the brain. They found that people who received dental X-rays once a year or every 2-5 years had more than double the risk of developing these tumors compared to those who had dental X-rays less than once every 5 years. Interestingly, the study found no association between cell phone use and these tumors, contradicting some previous research.

Why This Matters

This study adds an important piece to our understanding of radiation exposure and brain tumors. While the focus is on ionizing radiation from dental X-rays rather than the non-ionizing EMF from wireless devices, the findings highlight how cumulative exposure to different types of radiation may affect our health in unexpected ways. The research is particularly noteworthy because it found no link between cell phone use and vestibular schwannoma, even though these tumors develop precisely where cell phones are held against the head. What this means for you is that the radiation exposure landscape is complex. The study suggests that even routine medical procedures involving radiation deserve careful consideration of their frequency and necessity, while also demonstrating that different types of radiation may pose different risks.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

The authors evaluated the potential role of environmental risk factors, including exposure to diagnostic or therapeutic radiation and to wireless phones that emit nonionizing radiation, in the etiology of vestibular schwannoma (VS).

A total of 343 patients with VSs who underwent Gamma Knife surgery performed between 1997 and 2007 w...

After adjusting for race, education, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, occupational exposure t...

Patients with acoustic neuromas reported significantly more exposure to dental x-rays than a matched cohort control group. Reducing the frequency of dental x-ray examinations may decrease the potential risk of VS.

Cite This Study
Han YY, Berkowitz O, Talbott E, Kondziolka D, Donovan M, Lunsford LD. (2012). Are frequent dental x-ray examinations associated with increased risk of vestibular schwannoma? J Neurosurg. 117 Suppl:78-83, 2012.
Show BibTeX
@article{yy_2012_are_frequent_dental_xray_2148,
  author = {Han YY and Berkowitz O and Talbott E and Kondziolka D and Donovan M and Lunsford LD.},
  title = {Are frequent dental x-ray examinations associated with increased risk of vestibular schwannoma?},
  year = {2012},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23211211/},
}
PubMed: 23211211

Cited By (20 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2012 study found that people receiving dental X-rays yearly or every 2-5 years had more than double the risk of developing vestibular schwannoma, a type of brain tumor affecting the ear-to-brain nerve, compared to those X-rayed less frequently.
Research shows frequent dental X-rays may increase brain tumor risk. Patients getting X-rays annually or every few years had 2.27 to 2.65 times higher risk of acoustic neuroma compared to those receiving X-rays less than every five years.
This 2012 study found no relationship between cell phone use and acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma). Surprisingly, dental X-rays showed a strong association with these brain tumors, while mobile phones did not increase risk in this research.
Dental X-ray radiation may more than double your risk of vestibular schwannoma, a brain tumor on the ear nerve. The risk increased with frequency: yearly X-rays carried 2.27 times higher risk, while every 2-5 years showed 2.65 times higher risk.
Based on brain tumor research, limiting dental X-rays to less than once every five years may reduce vestibular schwannoma risk. The study suggests that reducing X-ray frequency could decrease potential tumor development on the ear-to-brain nerve.