Unsettling Association: Dental X rays linked to low-birth-weight babies

Getting dental X rays while pregnant might increase a woman’s risk of giving birth to a low-birth-weight baby, a new study suggests.

Physicians try to minimize diagnostic X rays for pregnant women because radiation is most damaging to fetal and other rapidly dividing cells. When X rays in areas away from the abdomen are necessary during pregnancy, doctors shield the womb with a lead apron.