Three in a row
Dr. Madhu K. Nair, professor of radiology, department head of Diagnostic Sciences and director of the Imaging Center at Texas A&M School of Dentistry, was recently named to the AAE-AAOMR Joint Statement Revision Panel for the third consecutive time.
The national consensus panel, tasked with issuing and revising timely guidelines in compliance with radiation safety and protection regulations, is appointed by the Board of Directors of the American Association of Endodontists and the Executive Council of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology.
“The panel is responsible for developing evidence-based prescription and utilization guidelines for Cone Beam Computed Tomography in endodontics,” Nair said. “[CBCT] is an advanced imaging modality used to acquire images of patient anatomy in 3D for purposes of comprehensive diagnosis, treatment planning and follow-up.”
Nair said the majority of endodontic clinics in the United States use CBCT for “pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative applications.” The guidelines issued by this panel are used worldwide.
Nair served on the original panel in 2010 and chaired a new consensus panel in 2016. Having a seat at the table for a third time is a prestigious honor for the school and the university.
“Our intent is to finalize guidelines based on extant evidence as published in the literature by April 2025, if not earlier,” Nair said. “The set of guidelines would help practitioners judiciously prescribe CBCT for specific diagnostic, treatment planning, intra-operative and post-operative tasks, while ensuring that patients receive the best possible care with radiation doses kept to a minimum, per federal guidelines and the most recent report of the National Council for Radiation Protection.”