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Palmero Cling Shield Adult Thyroid Collar, 22 5/8" x 4 1/4" · Lead-Free · Black
SKU 044-0535MFR# 25UBLACK
Protection
Lead-Free
- For the protection of the thyroid area. Velcro closing. One size fits all. Use in conjunction with Adult Patient Apron.
- 22 5/8" x 4 1/4"
- Not available in Silk Screen Facings
Product
- Manufacturer
- Palmero
- Manufacturer #
- 25UBLACK
- Item code
- 044-0535
Catalog path
- Marketplace
- Clinical
- Category
- Imaging & X-Ray
- Subcategory
- Aprons & Equipment
Ordering
- Status
- Ships in 3 business days
More from Aprons & Equipment
Stocked in the same subcategory.
About lead aprons and shielding
These are the garments and barriers of the group the FDA calls a personnel protective shield, worn or placed to put an attenuating barrier between a person and the beam. A review states the recommended lead-equivalent thickness for protective aprons as at least 0.25 mm for X-rays up to 100 kV and 0.35 mm above 100 kV, with a minimum of 0.5 mm lead equivalent advised for radiation personnel. Lead-free aprons use lighter materials such as antimony, tin and barium, and a systematic review of eleven studies reported radiation protection comparable to traditional lead aprons.
An apron, a thyroid collar or a poncho used in radiography is what the FDA calls a personnel protective shield: a device intended to protect the patient, the operator or other people from unnecessary exposure to radiation by providing an attenuating barrier to radiation. The same section says the type may include articles of clothing, furniture, and movable or stationary structures, and lists it as Class I (21 CFR 892.6500). The machine that makes the exposure is a separate Class II device, an intraoral source x-ray system when the tube sits inside the mouth and an extraoral source system when it sits outside. This shelf also carries intraoral x-ray film and a hanger for aprons.
The ADA reports that the single most notable change in its 2024 update is that thyroid collars are no longer recommended for any imaging procedure in dentistry. The reason it gives is that thyroid collars and other shielding, such as lead aprons, can block the primary X-ray beam, which may mean more radiographs have to be taken. In place of shielding the ADA names rectangular collimation, correct patient positioning and dose-reduction procedures. A commentary records that the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology in September 2023 and the ADA in April 2024 both advocated discontinuing patient shielding for all dental and maxillofacial imaging procedures, the collar because it cannot protect against internal scatter radiation.
What to look at when choosing an apron or shield
Thickness: lead equivalence is the number on the label, quoted in millimetres of lead. One study inside a published review found the front-panel performance against scattered radiation varied by 38-fold between aprons that were all labelled 0.5 mm lead equivalent.
Storage: FDA and ADA guidance states that protective aprons and thyroid shields should be hung or laid flat and never folded, and that every shield should be checked for tears, folds and cracks monthly, by eye and by hand. The reason given elsewhere is that frequent bending or mishandling leads to splits and gaps in the protective layers, which reduces their effect against scattered radiation.
Weight: lead aprons are often described as cumbersome and uncomfortable in prolonged use, and as contributing to back pain among wearers.
What to look at when choosing film
Film is a Class I device: a thin sheet of radiotransparent material coated on one or both sides with a photographic emulsion that records the image.
Speed: intraoral film falls into three speed classes, D (slowest), E and F (fastest), and the faster the film the less exposure it needs. The FDA reports that switching from D to E speed produced a 30 to 40 percent reduction in exposure, E to F a 20 to 25 percent reduction, and D to F about 60 percent. It adds that a comparison of one maker's D-speed film with E- or F-speed film showed no significant clinical difference in quality between them.
Guidance on limiting exposure names use of the fastest image receptor compatible with the diagnostic task, F-speed film or digital. The ADA lists using digital receptors instead of conventional film among the ways of minimising radiation exposure in dentistry.
Sources: FDA 21 CFR 892.6500, Personnel protective shield · FDA 21 CFR 872.1810, Intraoral source x-ray system · ADA Oral Health Topics: X-Rays/Radiographs · Yeung 2024, A Paradigm Shift From Having Dental Patient Shielding to No Patient Shielding? (Int Dent J) · Comparative Analysis of Effectiveness of Traditional Lead Aprons versus Newer Generation Lead-free Aprons in Radiation Protection, 2025 (PMC12005659) · FDA and ADA: The Selection of Patients for Dental Radiographic Examinations (revised 2012) · FDA 21 CFR 892.1840, Radiographic film · FDA: Dental Radiography — Doses and Film Speed
