A repeated criterion‐based audit of radiographic usage by a paediatric dentistry unit

Aims. To report a simple clinical audit which was conducted within a single hospital paediatric dental unit and to demonstrate the potential value of such small‐scale projects.Design. A criterion‐based audit of radiographic practice which was repeated after 3 years in order to evaluate changes.Setting. Six 1 hour meetings of an audit group consisting of the staff and postgraduate students of the Unit.Sample and Methods. Various aspects of radiographic usage were quantitatively assessed using a sample of patient records and a pre‐planned check list to assess the extent to which agreed good‐practice criteria were being met. The initial audit identified areas for improvement which were addressed before repeating the exercise 3 years later.Results. Clinical note‐keeping to accompany radiographic examinations was found to be the least satisfactory area of practice. When the exercise was repeated, encouraging improvements were demonstrated.Conclusions. The audit was worthwhile because it appeared to produce improvements in standards of patient care.