Dental x-ray compliance testing - SA regulations have changed

The key changes are:

1. The requirement for X-ray units to undergo annual servicing has been removed.

2. Cyclic X-ray compliance testing has commenced.

What does this mean in practical terms?

All existing dental X-ray units now need to undergo an X-ray compliance test sometime between 11 February 2026 and 11 February 2031. You can determine when you need your equipment to be tested based on the type of equipment and the date of its last compliance certificate. If your equipment is older, heavily used, or you have concerns that the equipment may have been damaged in some way, you might decide to perform an X-ray compliance test earlier within this 5-year timeframe. However, if you have well-maintained, modern equipment which has been regularly serviced in the past, which is handled carefully by trained staff and which is producing high resolution images, then you may prefer to have the X-ray compliance test done closer to 11 February 2031.

Why is compliance testing important?

Compliance testing ensures that your x-ray equipment operates safely and complies with legal and regulatory standards. Knowing your equipment is operating safely provides peace of mind that your patients and staff are protected from unintended exposure to ionizing radiation exposure, and image quality is optimised.

What is the mandatory period for compliance testing?

Practitioners often enquire regarding mandatory obligations. As of February 2026, dental radiography equipment, including intra-oral, OPG and CBCT machines, must be compliance tested at least every five years.

**NB: Please note that shielding compliance testing is not part of the cyclic testing scheme.

What do I do if I receive a call about my x-ray equipment?

ADA SA is aware that some commercial entities have been contacting dental practices to encourage immediate (early) x-ray equipment compliance testing. Unfortunately, these service providers have mis-interpreted the regulations and are asserting that all x-ray equipment should be tested now to avoid breaching legislative requirements. 

If you are in any doubt, please refer to the guidance above and don’t hesitate to contact the ADA SA branch if you have any queries or concerns.  We are willing to report your concerns to the SA EPA to help reduce the spread of misinformation, and to prevent dentists being subjected to unnecessary costs.

Remember, other key EPA regulations remain unchanged:

1. Dental X-ray units that were newly installed, re-installed into a new room/premises, had an ownership change, or had an X-ray tube replaced needed to have an X-ray compliance test within 60 days.

2. Rooms where X-ray units were installed needed a shielding compliance test within 60 days.

Key terms Used by EPA

• Compliance tester. A person with SA EPA accreditation to conduct tests of X-ray units. A list of compliance testers can be found here. https://www.epa.sa.gov.au/files/15595_accredited_testers.pdf
• Service engineer/technician. A person trained to service dental equipment (chairs, drills, autoclaves, X-ray units) but is not necessarily a compliance tester.
• X-ray compliance test. This is the suite of tests that only compliance testers can perform on X-ray units.
• shielding compliance test. This is the suite of tests that only compliance testers can perform on walls and doors to ensure radiation levels outside the room are safe.
• Annual servicing. Checks specified in the X-ray manual to ensure the X-ray unit remains in good condition (lights and buttons work, cables in good order, etc). This can be conducted by a service engineer/technician or a compliance tester, but better to engage a service engineer/technician as they are more likely to be able to fix any problems found. Annual servicing was previously mandated by the SA EPA; however, this is no longer the case.
• Cyclic X-ray compliance testing. An SA EPA requirement to have X-ray units' compliance tested at regular intervals. For dental X-rays, the interval is 5 years.