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Project

Dental pediatric imaging: an investigation towards low dose radiation induced risks (R-6491)

Cone beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) is an emerging X-ray technology that has found wide applications in dentomaxillofacial imaging. The ability to provide high-resolution 3D images has resulted in a significant increase in the volume of dental radiology procedures. Although CBCT is associated with higher radiation risk than conventional dental X-ray imaging, it is considered to be 'low dose' imaging as defined by the High Level Expert Group (HLEG; www.hleg.de). The aim of this PhD topic is characterising the potential risks involved in pediatric CBCT imaging. To this end, the objective is subdivided in three tasks. In the first tasks, low dose radiation induced effects are studied in stem cells from the orofacial region. Orofacial stem cells will be exposed to low doses of Xirradiation (0, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 mGy) and DNA damage repair and repair kinetics will be analysed by microscopical visualization of DNA double strand markers yH2AX and 53BP1. The cells will be analysed 30 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours and 24 hours after irradiation. The profile of secreted proteins in culture supernatant of these stem cells will be studied as well. In the second task, the effect of exposure to therapeutic CBCT imaging in oral mucosal cells will be studied. As in task 1, the DNA damage and repair kinetics will be analyzed by microscopical visualization of DNA double strand markers yH2AX and 53BP1 in exfoliated oral mucosal cells collected from consenting patients just before and after (30 minutes and 24 hours) exposure to CBCT. The last part of this PhD focusses on saliva profiling. A pilot study will be set up to evaluate the feasibility of using saliva to detect local changes in oxidative stress levels in the oropharyngeal region and salivary glands induced by CBCT. To determine possible age dependency of radiation sensitivity, saliva samples will be collected from 50 children and a dozen of adults. Sample collection will occur just before and 30 minutes after CBCT exposure. It is expected that the outcome of this project can lead to further recommendations and potential future adaptations for the use of CBCT in pediatric dentistry.
Date:1 Oct 2015 →  30 Sep 2019
Keywords:DENTO-MAXILLO-FACIAL, STEM CELLS
Disciplines:Systems biology