Dental X-Rays Linked To BRAIN TUMORS. OMFG. Fear ++

As I mow on some jelly beans, I am relishing the fact that I am slowly feeling my teeth rot. It turns out the alternative to my sugar-coated rot-teeth are brain tumors.

io9:

One of the most uncomfortable aspects of your dental visit has just been linked to brain tumors. Research published in this week’s issue of  Cancer  reveals that patients with meningioma – the most commonly diagnosed (but usually benign) brain-growth in the U.S. – were more than twice as likely as people without the tumor to have had a bitewing X-ray performed at some point in their lives.

It’s worth pointing out right away that this study’s findings are no excuse to skip out on regular visits to your dentist – or even to avoid having dental x-rays performed. Much more important, explain the researchers, is that you be mindful of your personal x-ray history, keep tabs on how frequently you have dental x-rays performed, and understand the circumstances under which your dentist has them ordered:

“These findings should not prevent anyone from going to the dentist,” explained lead researcher and neurosurgeon Elizabeth B. Claus, an MD/PhD at Yale University School of Medicine,  to WebMD. “But it appears that a large percentage of patients receive annual X-rays instead of every two to three years, which is the recommendation for healthy adults.”

There is no gray ground, folks. If you get dental x-rays, you’re getting brain tumors.