IRMER and all things X-Ray, inc CBCT | Vish Patel | Friday 06 November 2026

For: Dentists, Hygienists,

The overall aim would be to provide a practical update on dental radiology, radiation protection and CBCT, with an emphasis on appropriate imaging selection, optimisation, image interpretation and recognising when further investigation or specialist input is required.

Description

Vish is a Consultant Dental and Maxillofacial Radiologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. He completed specialist training at Guy’s Hospital in 2024 and has particular interests in dental and maxillofacial imaging, CBCT, and salivary gland imaging and intervention. Before specialising in radiology, Vishal spent 10 years in NHS and private dental practice, including a Staff Grade role in Oral Surgery. He holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Dental Education and is actively involved in postgraduate teaching and training.

Aims

• IR(ME)R/radiation protection refresher – roles and responsibilities, justification, optimisation and clinical evaluation
• “Would you take this radiograph?” – interactive clinical scenarios looking at selection criteria, 2D imaging versus CBCT and appropriate imaging choices
• Getting the image right and knowing what you’re looking at - Image quality, common errors and dose optimisation
• Choosing appropriate CBCT field of view and image quality settings for different clinical questions
• Normal anatomy, anatomical variants and common pitfalls, using image-based discussion and quiz questions
• CBCT in everyday dental practice
• Case-based discussion covering areas such as implant planning, endodontics, tooth prognosis and impacted teeth -What would you do? Interactive radiology cases
• Incidental findings and unexpected appearances – the “weird and wonderful” things we sometimes find when looking for something else - A series of unknown cases looking at interpretation, clinical significance and what to do next
• Reporting responsibilities, limitations and when to seek a further opinion or refer

Objectives

• Recap the key IR(ME)R principles relevant to dental practice
• Apply justification and optimisation principles when selecting dental imaging
• Recognise when CBCT may add value over conventional 2D imaging
• Select appropriate CBCT fields of view and image quality settings for different clinical questions
• Recognise common anatomical variants, image quality problems and artefacts
• Identify significant incidental or unexpected findings and understand when further assessment or referral is appropriate
• Understand their responsibilities around image review, reporting and clinical evaluation

Speakers

Vish Patel

Sessions

09:30 - 11:00, session 1

11:30 - 13:00, session 2

14:00 - 15:15, session 3

15:45 - 17:00, session 4

GDC outcomes

A, C, D,