3. Records, audit and series summary

Records inspectors expect

• Clinical justification (why this examination, now)
• Authorisation / who exposed
• Exposure factors or programme used (especially if not the standard chart)
• Clinical evaluation of the image
• Repeats and reject log
• Training and entitlement list
• Equipment test reports and faults
• Local rules and IR(ME)R procedures that match the rooms

Software that stores images without storing evaluation is incomplete.

Audit questions

• Can every dentist show a recorded reason for the last ten bitewings?
• Are locums entitled before they expose?
• Is rectangular collimation actually on the tube head?
• Are panoramic examinations clearly justified (not used as caries screens)?
• Do reject rates fall after training?

Series summary

IR(ME)R in dental practice is a chain: entitled people, a justified examination, an optimised exposure, a clinically evaluated image, and honest handling of things that go wrong. Completing Years 1–5 is 5 hours of verifiable CPD over 5 years for the dentist IR(ME)R update. Keep practical competency on your own equipment current as well.

Before the assessment: locate your radiation protection file, entitlement list, and the accidental-exposure procedure.

Always follow current IR(ME)R 2017, IRR17 and your employer’s procedures. This e-learning does not replace local equipment training or CBCT-specific qualification.