Radiation Dose Levels in Paediatric Plain Radiography at Federal Medical Centre Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State

Paediatric patients represent the most radiosensitive population group in diagnostic imaging, and establishing radiation dose benchmarks for common paediatric radiography procedures is essential for applying the ALARA principle effectively in resource-limited Nigerian settings. Federal Medical Centre Birnin Kebbi in Kebbi State serves a large paediatric patient population in the North West zone, yet no dose survey has previously been conducted at this institution. This study measures radiation dose levels during common paediatric plain radiography procedures at Federal Medical Centre Birnin Kebbi and compares the results against established paediatric diagnostic reference levels. A prospective dose measurement study is conducted, documenting entrance surface air kerma values using calibrated ionisation chambers for chest, abdomen, skull, and pelvis radiographic procedures in children aged 0 to 10 years across three standardised weight groups. Technical exposure parameters and equipment settings are concurrently recorded. Descriptive statistics and one-sample t-tests comparing measured doses against IAEA paediatric reference levels are computed in SPSS. Available paediatric dose literature from North West Nigeria identifies overexposure arising from adult exposure parameter use for paediatric patients and absence of automatic exposure control adaptation as the primary dose elevation mechanisms. The IAEA Safety Series No. 39 paediatric imaging guidance and the European Commission DRL framework provide the normative analytical reference. Findings are expected to reveal dose values exceeding recommended paediatric diagnostic reference levels for chest and skull procedures. Recommendations address paediatric-specific exposure technique charts and automatic exposure control protocols for FMC Birnin Kebbi. Keywords: paediatric radiography, radiation dose, diagnostic reference levels, Kebbi State, North West Nigeria.