U.S. doctors online nowAsk doctors free
A 32-year-old member asked:

Do dental x-rays cause mouth cancer?

4 doctor answers16 doctors weighed in
Dr. Gurmukh Singh
Pathology 51 years experience
Unlikely: While there may be a theoretical increase in risk, the radiation used in usual dental x-rays is not likely to increase the risk of oral cancer.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Willis Hardesty
Dentistry 30 years experience
No: Radiation exposure is a cumulative effect on a human body. Dental radiographs use low doses of radiation to allow the dentist to see in between the teeth and diagnose otherwise undetectable decay. If proper precautions are followed, radiation exposure from dental radiographs is not a source of mutation in mouth cancers.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Louis Gallia
Surgery - Oral & Maxillofacial 47 years experience
No: No evidence. Radiation effects are cumulative. Have dental xrays that are necessary. Avoid those that are not necessary.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Robert Douglas
Orthodontics 53 years experience
Dose too Low: The X-ray exposure from a dental film is about what you get from the sun in an hour at the beach. Mouth cancer is usually caused by excessive smoking, drinking chewing tobacco or other long term abuse of your mouth. Rarely from other causes but never from dental X-rays.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Last updated Mar 12, 2020

Disclaimer:

Content on HealthTap (including answers) should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and interactions on HealthTap do not create a doctor-patient relationship. Never disregard or delay professional medical advice in person because of anything on HealthTap. Call your doctor or 911 if you think you may have a medical emergency.