Dental Radiography and IR(ME)R training that gets your team CQC-ready
- CQC-aligned, mapped to the Care Certificate framework
- Completed in the hub in over 60 languages
- A certificate for every staff member, for your CQC evidence
- A wrong answer triggers a follow-up lesson, so gaps are closed
No subscription needed. Bulk discounts from 10+ licences.
From £25.99 per staff member, one-off. No subscription needed.
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The same technology behind the world's best products powers CareStream, so your team's dental radiography and ir(me)r training stays accurate, always up to date with the latest guidance, and is delivered in over 60 languages.
Two Regulations, Two Purposes
Dental radiography is governed by two distinct sets of regulations that are easily confused but serve different purposes. IRR17 (Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017) is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive and protects workers and members of the public from radiation exposure.
IR(ME)R (Ionising Radiation Medical Exposure Regulations 2017) is enforced by the Care Quality Commission in England and protects the patient during the exposure itself. Understanding which regulation applies to which situation is essential for safe and legal practice.
What is the primary purpose of IR(ME)R 2017 in dental radiography?
In the hub, a wrong answer sends the staff member a short follow-up lesson and a fresh question on the same point. They close the gap before they can finish the module, and every attempt is recorded for your CQC evidence.
That is how the training works. Give your whole team the full Dental Radiography and IR(ME)R module.
Avg. Duration
About 35 minutes
Certificate
For every staff member
Available Languages (60+)
Course Published by
A clear, practical grounding in dental radiography and ir(me)r.
This training ensures everyone in our practice who refers for, justifies, or takes dental X-rays does so safely, lawfully, and to a high standard. It covers the two key regulations: IRR17 which protects staff and the public, and IR(ME)R which protects patients during exposures. You will learn the duty holder roles, the three governing principles, and how to apply them in daily practice so patients receive only the radiographs they genuinely need at the lowest reasonable dose.
By the end, your staff will be able to:
- Explain the difference between IRR17 and IR(ME)R and who enforces each regulation
- Identify the duty holder roles under IR(ME)R (employer, referrer, practitioner, operator) and describe their responsibilities
- Apply the three governing principles of justification, optimisation, and authorisation to everyday radiographic practice
- Recognise when an exposure is clinically significant accidental or unintended and describe the reporting procedure
- Describe practical techniques to keep radiation doses as low as reasonably practicable and maintain image quality
A closer look at the dental radiography and ir(me)r module.
The module is built in short, practical sections. Each one teaches a part of the topic, then applies it to a real care scenario and checks understanding before moving on.
Two Regulations, Two Purposes
Dental radiography is governed by two distinct sets of regulations that are easily confused but serve different purposes. IRR17 (Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017) is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive and protects workers and members of the public from radiation exposure. IR(ME)R (Ionising Radiation Medical Exposure Regulations 2017) is enforced by the Care Quality Commission in England and protects the patient during the exposure itself. Understanding which regulation applies to which situation is essential for safe and legal practice.
Duty Holder Roles Under IR(ME)R
IR(ME)R creates four duty holder roles, each with clear legal responsibilities. The employer (our practice) sets the framework, procedures, and quality assurance programme. The referrer requests an exposure. The practitioner takes responsibility for justifying the exposure, deciding it will do more good than harm for this particular patient. The operator carries out the exposure, often a trained dental nurse. Every exposure must have all these roles fulfilled, and each person must be trained, competent, and formally entitled to act in their role.
Justification: Every Exposure Must Be Needed
Justification is the first governing principle and means every X-ray must do more good than harm for this particular patient. An exposure should only be taken when it is genuinely needed and will change the patient's care, not automatically or by routine. The practitioner must check whether suitable recent images already exist before justifying a new exposure. The clinical decision to justify and the justification itself must be recorded in the patient's notes. This protects patients from unnecessary radiation.
Optimisation: Keeping Doses As Low As Reasonably Practicable
Optimisation means keeping radiation doses as low as reasonably practicable while still obtaining a diagnostic image. Practical techniques include using correct exposure settings for the patient's size and the clinical need, rectangular collimation to limit the beam, beam aiming devices and holders for accurate positioning, and choosing the right view. Good technique produces diagnostic images the first time, avoiding unnecessary repeats. The practice must have dose reference levels and audit image quality regularly, recording and learning from rejected images.
Local Rules, Controlled Areas, and Safe Practice
Under IRR17, our practice must have local rules that specify safe working procedures around X-ray equipment. The controlled area is the space around the X-ray tube head and primary beam where radiation levels require restriction during exposures. Warning signs and lights mark controlled areas. Staff must know where to stand (at least 1.5 metres from the tube head and primary beam, ideally behind a protective screen or outside the room), never hold a film, sensor, or patient during an exposure, and observe warning signs. The radiation protection supervisor oversees day to day compliance with the local rules.
Quality Assurance, Equipment Testing, and Record Keeping
Our practice must have a quality assurance programme including routine checks of equipment and images, planned testing schedules, and input from the externally appointed radiation protection adviser and medical physics expert. Equipment must undergo a critical examination before first use and regular testing thereafter to ensure it produces diagnostic images at the correct doses. Every exposure must be recorded with the justification, settings, operator, and outcome. These records must be retained. Quality assurance and good record keeping are inspected by the CQC and are essential for demonstrating compliance.
Special Considerations: Children, Pregnancy, and CBCT
Particular care is needed for children, who are more radiosensitive and have a longer life expectancy for potential effects to manifest, so exposures must be especially well justified and optimised with appropriate settings. If a patient is or may be pregnant, the practitioner must consider this in justification, though most dental X-rays deliver very low doses to the abdomen. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is three-dimensional imaging that delivers higher doses than conventional radiographs and carries additional requirements including stricter justification against referral criteria, additional training for practitioners and operators, and a written report by someone with appropriate training.
Recognising and Reporting Incidents
A clinically significant accidental or unintended exposure is one that is much greater than intended, involves the wrong patient or site, or is of a type that differs significantly from what was intended. Examples include taking an X-ray on the wrong patient, exposing the wrong tooth or area, or a much higher dose than intended due to equipment fault or error. Such incidents must be recognised, investigated, and reported. The employer must notify the Care Quality Commission without delay. Learning from incidents improves safety and is part of our governance and continuous improvement.
The things your team must remember.
- IRR17 protects staff and the public; IR(ME)R protects patients. The CQC enforces IR(ME)R and inspects dental practices for compliance.
- Every exposure needs a referrer, a practitioner who justifies it, and an operator who carries it out. All must be trained, competent, and entitled.
- Justification means taking X-rays only when genuinely needed for this patient. Check for existing recent images first.
- Optimisation means keeping doses as low as reasonably practicable using correct settings, collimation, holders, and good technique.
- Never hold a film, sensor, or patient during an exposure. Stand outside the controlled area, at least 1.5 metres from the tube head and beam.
- Clinically significant accidental or unintended exposures (wrong patient, wrong site, much higher dose) must be reported to the CQC without delay.
Not a slideshow once a year. Training that sticks.
CareStream delivers dental radiography and ir(me)r training in the hub your team already uses, grounded in best practice and your own policies, so it fits your care setting and not a generic template.
Short teaching sections and a real care scenario, then an assessment that checks understanding.
Staff complete it in over 60 languages, while your records stay in English.
A wrong answer triggers a short follow-up lesson and a fresh question, so the gap is closed.
Automatic reminders at 90, 30 and 7 days, with a live compliance dashboard.
From your dashboard to your team, in the CareStream hub.
Training is delivered in the hub each staff member logs into. You allocate the modules, they complete them in their own language, and you get the completion records and certificates for your CQC evidence, with any gaps closed by automatic follow up training.
Assign Dental Radiography and IR(ME)R to each staff member in seconds. No course builder and no setup for each person.
Staff work through the module on any device, in over 60 languages, teaching then checking understanding. A wrong answer sends a short follow up lesson.
See live completion status and a certificate for every person, ready as evidence for CQC.
Any step, in their language, in one tap.
Care teams are diverse and training should not leave anyone behind. On any lesson or question, a staff member taps the language button and the whole step flips into the language they think in. They understand it properly, and your records stay in English.
- One tap flips any lesson or question into their language, instantly.
- Over 60 languages, with no setup and no separate versions to manage.
- Completions and certificates stay in English for your CQC evidence.
Try the language buttons in the preview above.
Built for real learning, not box ticking
Every CareStream course goes further than a lesson and a quiz. These features come as standard on every course, giving your staff a richer way to learn and giving you the evidence to prove it.
Every course is built on recognised UK guidance and cites its sources, from NICE and Skills for Care to the NHS and the legislation itself.
A plain English glossary of the technical terms in each course. A simple way to support every learner, including staff with English as a second language.
A quick knowledge check before the lesson is compared with the final assessment, so every certificate comes with evidence of how much the course actually taught.
After passing, staff record what they will do differently in their day to day work. Their reflection is saved to their training record and shown with their certificate.
A printable one page takeaway of the outcomes, key points and key terms. Perfect for staff files, supervision conversations and the staff room wall.
A printable checklist for managers to confirm skills in practice, with a sign off section. It completes the picture beyond the knowledge assessment.
Wrong answers become lessons, not failures
Most e learning marks an answer wrong and moves on. CareStream does not. Every wrong answer triggers an automatic follow up loop that teaches the point again and rechecks it, so no knowledge gap is left behind.
A wrong answer immediately opens a short lesson explaining the point, so the gap is closed there and then.
A fresh question on the same point checks the lesson has landed. The loop repeats until it has.
Staff move on to the next module and their certificate once they genuinely know the answer, not just after one lucky guess.
Why choose CareStream?
Training built for the care sector, delivered the way busy teams actually learn.
- 90+ care-specific training courses
- Bitesize, engaging lessons your staff actually finish
- Mapped to the Care Certificate & CQC standards
- Available in 60+ languages
- Instant certificate on completion
- Flexible learning, anytime, on any device
- Content kept up to date with UK care regulations
- Time to complete: ~35 min
Frequently asked questions.
Is Dental Radiography and IR(ME)R training mandatory in care settings?
How often should staff complete Dental Radiography and IR(ME)R training?
Can CareStream deliver Dental Radiography and IR(ME)R training in other languages?
Does the training include an assessment?
More training your team may need
More mandatory and role-specific training CareStream delivers to your team, in the hub, in any language. Add any of these to your basket.
Annual CertificateCultural Diversity in Care
This training helps you understand and respect the diverse cultural, religious and personal backgrounds of the people we support. You will learn how to provide person-centred care that honours each individual's identity, beliefs and preferences. This is essential to meeting CQC fundamental standards and ensuring everyone feels valued and respected in our service.
Bulk discounts from 10+ licences
Annual CertificateDementia Awareness
This training helps you understand dementia and how to provide person centred care to residents living with dementia at our home. You will learn to recognise signs of dementia, support residents with dignity and respect, and follow our policies to meet their individual needs.
Bulk discounts from 10+ licences
Annual CertificateMental Health Awareness
This module helps you recognise signs of mental health difficulties in residents and respond with compassion and respect. You will learn how mental health affects wellbeing, how to support residents experiencing distress, and when to seek additional help. Understanding mental health is essential to providing person centred care that maintains dignity.
Bulk discounts from 10+ licences
Annual CertificateMedical Emergencies in the Dental Practice
This annual refresher training ensures every member of our dental team can recognise, respond to and manage medical emergencies that may occur in our practice. You will learn how to prevent emergencies where possible, deliver basic life support, use our defibrillator and work as a coordinated team to protect life until the ambulance arrives. This training meets GDC and CQC requirements and keeps our patients and team safe.
Bulk discounts from 10+ licences
Annual CertificateGDC Standards and Scope of Practice
This training ensures every registered member of our dental team understands the professional standards we must work to and the boundaries of what we are trained and permitted to do. It covers the nine principles from the GDC Standards for the Dental Team and the Scope of Practice guidance that defines what each role can and cannot do. This keeps our patients safe and maintains the trust placed in our profession.
Bulk discounts from 10+ licences
Annual CertificateMedication Support in the Community
This annual refresher covers safe medication support practices when working in people's own homes. You will learn how to support service users with their medicines safely and legally, following best practice for domiciliary care. This training covers the knowledge component only; practical competency must be assessed separately during your work.
Bulk discounts from 10+ licences
Give your team dental radiography and ir(me)r training that actually sticks.
Add it to your basket, allocate it in seconds, and let the evidence build itself.
Compared
Three ways to train a care team.
These modules are written and kept current by us, so your managers do not have to write or maintain them. We have compared what each approach does rather than naming providers, because products change and this should still be true next year.
| CareStream | A generic e-learning library | A trainer you book | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Try a real lesson and a real question before you buy | |||
| Learning outcomes and time to complete stated up front | |||
| Written lesson sections, each with its own illustration | |||
| Interactive exercises after the lesson that teaches them, in every module | |||
| Assessment in every module, with the key points to revisit | |||
| Taken in any of sixty plus languages | |||
| A wrong answer triggers a follow-up lesson, not just a re-sit | |||
| Practical sign-off by a manager where the subject needs it | |||
| Completion files itself into your training matrix and evidence pack | |||
| Bought one module at a time, with no annual contract |
Generic libraries are often cheaper per learner. They teach a national standard rather than being built, updated and evidenced around the way a CQC-registered service is actually inspected.
Care policies
Every module is written from a policy
If the policy behind it is out of date, the training inherits that. Sixty six policies written for your service, checked against current law and read by a person before they carry your name, from £39.
