Introduction: Mammography is a radiographic breast examination, used primarily in early diagnosis of breast cancer. It can be performed as a diagnostic or a preventive procedure. The latter is carried out in the Slovenian breast screening program DORA. In order to perform the mammographic examinations in the DORA program, the radiographic technicians require appropriate professional qualifications, they must undergo specialist training, attend additional seminars and have all the necessary certificates and competencies. Purpose: To assess the effect of additional training of radiographic technicians on mean glandular dose, compressed breast thickness and compression force applied during mammography. Methods: A retrospective study with secondary data analysis was used. Data was gathered on compression force, compressed breast thickness and mean glandular dose used in CC and MLO projections of 400 patients, aged 50 to 60. For 200 of the patients the exams were performed by radiographic technicians with additional training (group SBSG), for 200 of the patients the radiographic technicians did not have additional training (group SBMS). Shapiro-Wilk test was used to analyze the data, Mann Whitney U test was used to determine statistically significant differences in data between groups. Results: Group SBSG had a thicker average compressed breast thickness, in CC projection for 48.5 %, in MLO projection for 87.5 %. Greater compression force was used with patient group SBMS, in CC projection for 33,7 %, in MLO projection for 47.5 %. However, despite the smaller compressed breast thickness and greater compression force, the patients in group SBMS received a higher mean glandular dose than patients in group SBSG, in CC projection the MGD was 14.6 % higher, in MLO projection it was 15.0 % higher. Discussion and conclusion: The most likely cause of lower MGD received by patients, whose examinations were performed by radiographic technicians with additional training, is in moderately thicker and less dense breasts, which consist of less glandular tissue and consequently receive a lower MGD rather than in additional training. For further research a larger data sample should be gathered, other mammographic diagnostics should be included and other factors that affect the mean glandular dose should be taken into account.
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