• UK Health Security Agency logo

Dental Radiography: Radiation Protection in Dental Practice

Learn the UK safety requirements and legislation for carrying out safe dental X-rays on this CPD course for dental professionals.

Join - $104What's included?

1,734 enrolled on this course

Dental professional looks at an xray image on screen with a patient

Discover the core principles of dental radiography and X-ray exposure

Led by experts from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)’s Dental X-ray Protection Service (DXPS), this course will improve your understanding of the requirements for radiation protection in dental practice and provide you with the skills to take on the role of Radiation Protection Supervisor in your dental practice.

Develop your professional knowledge around the risks of X-radiation

This CPD course will equip you with the information and skills to ensure that dental radiography is carried out in a safe manner and that the requirements of key radiation protection legislation are complied with.

You’ll explore the potential hazards of dental X-radiation and the importance of restricting staff and patient radiation exposure as far as practicable.

Learn about UK dental radiation protection legislation and guidance

You’ll also familiarise yourself with relevant radiation protection guidance and legislation, including the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017, the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017, as well as the UK guidance for users of dental X-ray equipment.

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to apply the basic principles of practical radiation protection in a dental practice and be ready to act as Radiation Protection Supervisor in your dental practice.

Does this course count as core CPD for dentists?

Yes, this course provides five hours of continuous professional development (CPD) training. Current UK legislation and guidance recommend that certain staff at dental practices to undertake five hours verifiable CPD in radiography or radiation protection, every five years.

What topics will you cover?

  • X-ray concepts and risks
  • Regulatory requirements planning
  • Practical protection from X-rays
  • Regulatory requirements and management of working with X-rays
  • Quality assurance

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explore the potential hazards associated with X-radiation and the importance of restricting the exposure of staff and patients as far as is reasonably practicable
  • Identify the principal requirements of relevant UK legislation and guidance, namely IRR17, IRMER17 and the Dental Guidance Notes, 2nd Edition
  • Apply the basic principles of practical radiation protection in a dental practice
  • The ability to take on the role of the Radiation Protection Supervisor in relation to X-radiography in a dental practice

Who is the course for?

This CPD training course is designed for dental professionals who are involved in work with dental X-ray equipment. This includes dentists, hygienists, therapists, dental nurses and practice managers.

Others working in the dental or general healthcare sectors may also find the course interesting, but will not have the same professional requirement to undertake verifiable CPD.

Who will you learn with?

Joanne is the group leader of UKHSA's Dental X-ray Protection Services (DXPS) and is a Radiation Protection Adviser and Medical Physics Expert with more than 30 years experience.

Andrew is an experienced Radiation Protection Adviser and Medical Physics Expert and provides advice to a wide range of users of ionising radiation. He specialises in dental radiation protection.

A Medical Physics Expert and principal scientist working in UKHSA's Dental X-ray Protection Services. He has a substantial amount of experience in helping dental practices work safely with radiation.

Graham is the technical manager for UKHSA’s Dental X-ray Protection Services (UKHSA-DXPS) and is an experienced Radiation Protection Adviser and Medical Physics Expert.

Ruth leads the radiation protection consultancy team of UKHSA’s Dental X-ray Protection Services and is an experienced Radiation Protection Adviser and Medical Physics Expert

Who developed the course?

UK Health Security Agency

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is responsible for planning, preventing and responding to external health threats by providing intellectual, scientific and operational leadership at national and local level, as well as on the global stage. UKHSA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care.

What's included?

This is a premium course. These courses are designed for professionals from specific industries looking to learn with a smaller group of like-minded individuals.

  • Learn best practices from experts
  • Learn from the experience of other health professionals
  • Fit learning around your schedule with unlimited access
  • Get evidence of learning outcomes and CPD hours
  • Certificate of Achievement to prove your success when you're eligible
  • Download and print your Certificate of Achievement anytime

Still want to know more? Check out our FAQs

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

Learner reviews

Learner reviews cannot be loaded due to your cookie settings. Please and refresh the page to view this content.

Do you know someone who'd love this course? Tell them about it...

You can use the hashtag #DXPSonline to talk about this course on social media.