Recently the patient exposure by medical and dental x-ray examination has grown rapidly and diagnostic radiology represents the largest source of man-made radiation. For the patient protection, the principle of justification and optimization should be followed. All the radiographic examinations have to show a potential benefit to the patient weighing against the potential risk. After they are justified, the radiographic exposure should be kept as low as reasonably achievable, taking into account economic and social factors. For the safe use of radiation in dentistry, the radiation safety management in accordance with the legislation is important. The present status and the future of radiation safety management in dental radiology in Korea and other country will be discussed.