 X-rays in dentistry are a common source of radiation exposure in medicine. Dentists need to protect patients from unnecessary radiation. Globally, 1.5 billion dental x-rays are performed every year. These images are vital for diagnosing, planning and monitoring treatments. It's very important to protect patients in dentistry because during their life and average patient receive much greater number x-ray images in dentistry than in general medicine. There are different techniques that use radiation to produce dental images. Each is used for a different purpose and each uses a different amount of radiation. The most common x-ray types are the equivalent of just one day's natural radiation from the environment. But increasingly, dentists are requesting three-dimensional images of the facial system. These can expose patients to more than two weeks' worth of natural radiation. They should be used only when regular x-rays are not sufficient. Dentists can reduce patients' exposure by following professional guidelines to select an appropriate technique for each case and by taking measures to limit the amount of radiation used. There are several factors that contribute to the optimization of imaging procedures. One of them is adjustment of parameters to each specific patient. This is especially important when it comes to children. Equipment selection, maintenance and quality control are also important to protect patients. National regulatory authorities must be sure that dental equipment has an adequate maintenance as well as adequate quality control. The IAEA helps countries and dentists in the proper use of imaging through standards, guidelines and training.