The first national recommendations for radiation protection were given by the British Roentgen Society (1915) and American Roentgen Society (1922). The basis for modern radiation protection was given in the recommendations of ICRP (ICRP 26) in 1977. Dental education in all Nordic countries takes five years and leads to the competence of using intraoral radiography in Sweden and intraoral and panoramic radiography Norway and all dentomaxillofacial radiological (DMFR) units in Denmark and Finland. There is obligatory special training for using panoramic units in Sweden. For performing CBCT examinations and interpreting the images, a specialist degree in oral-maxillo-facial radiology is required in Sweden and Norway. Dental assistants and hygienists can perform intraoral radiography under the responsibility of a dentist. In Sweden and Norway dental hygienists can also record caries and periodontal diseases, although in Sweden all radiographs must be shown to the dentist. In Denmark and Norway the dental hygienists may be responsible for a dental x-ray unit, and they can refer the patient for a radiographic examination.Updating education is mandatory only in Finland according to EU guidelines. The demands for dental radiographic units are very similar in all countries. Quality assurance programs are regulated by law in Finland, Sweden and Denmark. The programs comprise daily, monthly or yearly checks of radiographic procedures. Regulations for digital dental radiography are still under construction, though some are available in Denmark.