Almost 500 X-ray machines are in use by dentists in Iceland, most of which are conventional dental X-ray machines used with an intraoral (IO) image sensor. However, in recent years, the number of specialized cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) machines has increased significantly and in 2025 there were 25 dental CBCT machines in use in Iceland.

The annual median radiation dose in a dental intraoral X-ray and the annual median dose area product (DAP) in panoramic dental X-ray (OPG) did not change much during the period. Information on radiation doses is only available from a small proportion of CBCT equipment and is not presented in the report.

New national diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for radiation doses in conventional dental radiography and panoramic radiography (OPG) are presented in the report and have been published on the Icelandic Radiation Safety Authority’s website. The DRL for dental X-ray (IO, single exposure) set in 2026 is 1,5 mGy and the DRL for panoramic dental X‑ray (OPG) set in 2026 is 7 µGy⋅m². National DRLs for dental CBCT were not published as part of the current report, but examples from other countries are shown in the report.

Radiation doses in conventional dental X-rays have decreased since 2011. However, the estimated risk (effective dose) has remained similar, as the tissue weighting factors used to calculate effective dose have changed.