Those heavy lead aprons may be on their way out at the dentist office, depending on where you live. The nation's largest dental association said Thursday it will no longer recommend the use of lead aprons and thyroid collars on patients who are getting dental X-rays. Photos You Should See View All 45 Images“It’s like taking a flight from, let’s say, from Michigan to San Francisco, it gives you the equivalent of one dental X-ray,” Kumar said. True change depends on state dental boards, dentists and patients, Kumar said. It will take advocacy and education to change more minds around the use of the aprons among patients, dentists and policymakers, he said.

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Persons: Purnima Kumar, ” Kumar, Kumar, Sanjay Mallya, ”, Mallya, Robert Wood Johnson Organizations: American Dental Association, Scientific Affairs, University of California, American Academy of Oral, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AP Locations: Michigan, San Francisco, California, Los Angeles