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
From £25.99 per staff member, one-off. No subscription needed.
Specialists in the technology behind it all
The same AI and 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?
The correct answer is “To protect patients during medical exposures to ionising radiation”. In the full module, a wrong answer triggers a short follow-up lesson and a fresh question, so the gap is always closed before completion.
That is how the training works. Give your whole team the full Dental Radiography and IR(ME)R module.
What This Training Covers
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.
Learning Outcomes
By the end, your staff will be able to:
What Your Team Will Learn
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.
Key Points Covered
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.
Who and how often
Dental Radiography and IR(ME)R is refreshed every year, for the staff in your care setting whose roles require it.
CQC and standards
Supports the training evidence CQC expects to see for a well-run, safe care setting.
How CareStream Delivers It
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.
Teach, then assess
Short teaching sections and a real care scenario, then an assessment that checks understanding.
In any language
Staff complete it in over 60 languages, while your records stay in English.
Learn and retry
A wrong answer triggers a short follow-up lesson and a fresh question, so the gap is closed.
Renewals handled
Automatic reminders at 90, 30 and 7 days, with a live compliance dashboard.
How your team gets trained
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.
- 01
Buy and allocate
Assign Dental Radiography and IR(ME)R to each staff member in seconds. No course builder and no setup for each person.
- 02
They complete it in the hub
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.
- 03
You track it
See live completion status and a certificate for every person, ready as evidence for CQC.
Safeguarding Adults
Dental Radiography and IR(ME)R
Moving & Handling of People
Infection Prevention & Control
In every language
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 button in the preview, or see every language
Dental Radiography and IR(ME)R
Learning: what to read first
About 35 minThis 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.
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.
References and further reading
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.
Key terms explained
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.
Measured learning gain
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.
Reflective practice
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 course summary to keep
A printable one page takeaway of the outcomes, key points and key terms. Perfect for staff files, supervision conversations and the staff room wall.
Observed competency checklist
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.
Instant lesson and feedback
A wrong answer immediately opens a short lesson explaining the point, so the gap is closed there and then.
Targeted follow up question
A fresh question on the same point checks the lesson has landed. The loop repeats until it has.
Progress only when understood
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.
Time to complete: ~35 min
FAQs
Frequently asked questions.
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Give your team dental radiography and ir(me)r training that actually sticks.
See how CareStream delivers your mandatory training in the hub, in any language.