This overview of dental radiology contains sections on demographics, equipment, dental radiology quality assurance, efficacy, dental radiology education curricula, professional organizations' guidelines for training and use, and state activities. In section 1 dental personnel, population of dental personnel, employment and earning prospects, dentist-to-population ratio, dental visits, dental radiographs, dental care and x-ray costs, and selected health characteristics are described. In section 2 conventional diagnostic x-ray equipment, performance standards, new technology, ancillary equipment, and an alternative modality are described. The Dental Surpak program, nationwide evaluation of x-ray trends, the Nashville Dental Project, the Dental Exposure Normalization Technique, and the present status of quality assurance in dental radiology are discussed in section 3. Section 4, which covers efficacy, contains information on examination frequency, trends, and costs; radiation exposures, doses, and risks; routine x-rays, referral criteria, and post-treatment radiographs. Dentists, dental auxilliaries, and continuing education are examined in section 5, which deals with dental radiology education curricula. Section 6 outlines professional organizations' guidelines for training and use. It presents comments on curriculum development and the findings and recommendations of professional organizations. State activities are described in section 7. A total of 134 references and 29 bibliographic citations are included. (MN)