X-Ray Radiation Safety

What film speed types are used in intraoral dental radiographs?

D, E, F

Film size #1

anterior on adult and children

Secondary radiation is ___ useful radiation because it produces fog on the radiograph, ______ the diagnostic quality.

not;damaging

Film size #4

occlusal

Identification dot

on one corner of the film packet; small raised bump used to differentiate the left and right side

Film cassette

plastic or metal case that is used to hold the film and protect it from exposure to light

Film size #3

preformed bitewing; infrequently used

Kilovoltage

(kVp) highest voltage of x-ray tube used during an exposure

Dental x-ray machines general operate at ___ or ____ kVp.

70 or 90

Using proper exposure factors limits the amount of radiation exposure. A setting of ______ kVp keeps patients exposure to a minimum.

70 to 90

Film size #2

Adult size

ALARA Concept

As Low As Resonably Achievable; concept that all exposure to radiation must be kept to a minimum

Which film speed is the fastest and reduces exposure by how much?

F-speed; 20 to 60%

Lead apron should ________ when stored.

not be folded

Critical organs that are sensitive to radiation

Skin, Thyroid gland, Lens of the eye, Bone marrow

Example of positioning instruments

Snap ray and polystyrene bite blocks

Examples of radiolucent structures

air spaces, soft tissues, aabscesses, tooth decay, dental pulp

Beam alignment devices

assists in positioning of the PID in relation to the tooth and film or sensor

Film size #0

child size; younger than 3 yrs

Lead apron

covers the patient from the neck and extend over the lap area to protect the reproductive and blood-forming tissues from scatter radiation

Radiolucent

dark area

The ____ the film speed, the ____ radiation exposure to the patient.

faster; less

High contrast

fewer shades of gray

Radiation monitoring devices

film badge, pocket dosimeter (pen style), thermoluminescent device (TLD)

Thyroid collar

flexible lead shield that is placed securely around the patients neck to protect the thyroid from scatter radiation

Scatter Radiation

form of secondary radiation that occurs when an x-ray beam has been deflected from its path through interaction with matter. delfected in all directions including patients body, operatory

If the film packet is positioned in the mouth backward, what is produced on the film?

herringbone pattern

After the film has been processed, it becomes a ____ or _____.

image; radiograph

Types of film used in dentistry

intraoral, extraoral, duplicationg

Always stand behind a ________ or a ______ of drywall.

lead barrier; proper thickness

Dental x ray machines must be monitored for ________.

leakage radiation

A 90-kVp requires ____ exposure time and produces an image with _____ contrast.

less; low

A 70 kVp requires ____ exposure time and produces an image with ____ contrast.

longer; high

Primary Radiation

made up of the x-rays that come from the target of the x-ray tube. aka: useful beam or primary beam

Examples of radiopaque structures

metal restorations, tooth enamel, and dense areas of bone

A longer position indicator device (PID) is ______ in reducing exposure because of less divergence of the beam.

more effective

Low contrast

more shades of gray

Contrast

range of shades of gray to black to white

Panoramic film

shows panoramic view of the upper and lower jaws

Cephalometric film

shows the bony and soft tissue areas of the facial profile

If a lead barrier is not available, _______________.

stand at right angles to the beam

Film speed

the amount of radiation that is required to produce a radiograph of standard density

Primary beam

the most penetrating beam produced at the target of the anode

Tubehead

the part of the x-ray unit that contains the x-ray tube. the high voltage and low voltage transformers, and insulating oil

Duplicating film

used only in a darkroom setting and is never exposed to x-rays

Positioning instruments

used to position and hold dental x ray films or digital sensor in the patients mouth.

Latent image

when radiation interacts with the film and an image is produced but is not yet visible before processing

Radiopaque

white or light gray area

Secondary Radiation

x-radiation that is created when the primary beam interacts with matter. EX: when the x-rays of primary beam contact patient's tissues

The _______ is where x-rays are produced.

x-ray tube