Aribex NOMAD

Dental Products Report and DentalProductsReport.com
December 2009

When Aribex first began selling the NOMAD handheld x-ray in 2005, a new category of intraoral x-ray was created. Previously, dental x-ray devices had to be firmly attached to walls, had clumsy scissor arms, and required dental personnel to leave the room to take the image. Now those days are gone.

 “By allowing an operator to safely stay in the room during a dental x-ray procedure, the NOMAD has forever changed the way that dental radiography is performed,” said Dr. D. Clark Turner, NOMAD’s creator and President and CEO of Aribex Inc.

This has proven to be a key value in treating children, special needs cases and endodontic patients where images need to be taken during procedures. The NOMAD has proven itself to be the x-ray of choice for humanitarian clinics and mobile dentistry because of its portability and ease of use. Forensic versions have been successfully used in victim ID programs in local coroner’s offices as well as after disasters such as tsunamis in Asia and Hurricane Katrina.

Value-driven radiography
In 2008, Aribex launched NOMAD Pro. Just more than 5 pounds (3 pounds lighter than the original device), the unit comes with an icon-driven LCD user interface that serves as a technique chart. Now, instead of purchasing multiple wall-mount x-rays for new practices, smart practitioners are choosing one NOMAD Pro to serve multiple operatories. Because NOMAD Pro requires no installation, special wiring or custom cabinetry, the savings make it a must-have in this cost-conscious economy.

Safety and quality
Traditionally, x-ray safety has been discussed in terms of three things: distance from the x-ray source, barriers and time of exposure. NOMAD moved the barrier to the device itself. The x-ray source and the collimator are internally shielded, while the external backscatter shield protects the user from reflected radiation. Its 6-cm collimator cone reduces patient exposure by 25% over traditional 7-cm cones.

A recent study, presented to the annual meeting of the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, concluded that “…resolution and contrast for the NOMAD are superior to the [name brand wall-mounted] x-ray system.” All NOMAD devices work with film, digital sensors and phosphor plates.

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