Objective: To assess the annual per caput and collective effective dose to the United Kingdom population from medical and dental X-ray examinations.
Method: The results of a detailed survey of the frequency of X-ray examinations during the financial year 1997/1998 were combined with contemporary data on the effective doses typically received by patients. The resulting per caput and collective dose for 1997/1998 was updated to 2001/2002 by using annual statistics on the total numbers of computed tomography (CT), interventional and conventional examinations collected by the English Department of Health.
Results: The annual per caput effective dose for the UK in 2001/2002 was estimated at 0.38 mSv. Over the last 10 years CT has more than doubled its contribution and is now responsible for 47% of the collective dose from medical X-rays. The contribution from conventional radiographic and fluoroscopic examinations has nearly halved to about 34%. Interventional and angiographic procedures together contribute the remaining 19%.
Conclusions: The annual per caput effective dose of 0.38 mSv is low in comparison with other countries having similarly developed systems of health-care. This is due to both a lower frequency of X-ray examinations per head of population and generally lower doses in the UK than in other developed countries.