DANB-Radiation Safety-Operator
primary radiation
A primary barrier is designed to protect the dental assistant from A. scatter radiation. B. leakage radiation. C. secondary radiation. D. primary radiation.
750 mSv.
According to National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements guidelines, the annual maximum permissible dose for the hands of a dental assistant is A. 750 mSv. B. 150 mSv. C. 500 mSv. D. 50 mSv.
once a year.
According to the OSHA Ionizing Radiation Standard, employers are required to advise employees of their individual radiation exposure at least A. once a month. B. once a year. C. every three years. D. every three months.
3 rems
According to the OSHA Ionizing Radiation Standard, the maximum whole body dose per calendar quarter (3 months) is A. 18 rems. B. 7 rems. C. 3 rems D. 20 rems
10 rem
Based on the formula provided by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, what is the maximum accumulated dose for a 20-year-old dental assistant? A. 10 rem B. 20 rem C. 35 rem D. 15 rem
the skin, lenses of the eyes, thyroid gland, bone marrow, and reproductive organs.
Critical organs include:
discontinue use of the machine until a technician examines it.
If an X-ray machine is suspected to be malfunctioning, the dental assistant should A. continue to use the machine until a technician examines it. B. discontinue use of the machine until a technician examines it. C. take some test films on a coworker to troubleshoot the problem. D. make an adjustment to the settings so the X-rays are diagnostic.
scatter radiation.
Lead aprons and lead gloves are PRIMARILY designed to protect the dental assistant from A. non-ionizing radiation. B. primary radiation. C. remnant radiation. D. scatter radiation.
primary radiation
The central beam that comes from the X-ray tubehead is called A. primary radiation. B. leakage radiation C. leakage radiation D. secondary radiation.
ask the patient to hold the device.
The dental assistant finds it difficult to stabilize the film-holding device. The BEST option is to A. increase the kVp. B. ask the patient to hold the device. C. increase the mA. D. hold the device while exposing the film.
erythema
The dental assistant is exposed to a radiation overdose that produces a temporary redness of the skin. This reaction is known as A. necrosis. B. edema. C. mucositis. D. erythema
secondary barrier (Secondary barriers, such as lead-lined doors and windows, are designed to protect against scatter and/or leakage radiation)
The dental office has a lead window behind the control booth to help protect the operator against scatter radiation. This is considered a A. temporary barrier. B. primary barrier. C. tertiary barrier. D. secondary barrier.
The assistant should wear a lead apron during the exposure
The dentist asks the dental assistant to help stabilize a patient while a radiograph is exposed. Which of the following statements is TRUE? A. The assistant should wear a lead apron during the exposure. B. The assistant does not need a lead apron while holding the patient. C. The patient does not need a lead apron if the assistant is holding him or her. D. The patient should wear full restraints during the exposure.
on a wall outside the X-ray area.
The exposure button for the X-ray machine is usually located A. on the side of the tube head. B. on the anode of the machine. C. on a wall inside the X-ray room. D. on a wall outside the X-ray area.
7 feet. (a primary barrier must be a minimum of 7 feet in height)
The height of a primary protective barrier must be at least A. 8 feet. B. 6 feet. C. 10 feet. D. 7 feet.
latent period.
The time period between the exposure to ionizing radiation and the appearance of a long-term effect such as cancer is called the A. latent period. B. prodromal period. C. period of injury. D. risk assessment period.
in each of the radiation areas. (OSHA's Ionizing Radiation Standard states that each radiation area needs to have a sign with the radiation caution symbol)
To avoid inadvertently exposing personnel to radiation, a radiation hazard sign must be posted A. on the front door of the office. B. in each of the radiation areas. C. in the employee break room. D. in one of the radiation areas.
stand behind an acceptable barrier. (because Dental office walls made of drywall are an adequate barrier from scatter radiation)
To be adequately protected from scatter radiation during X-ray exposure, the dental assistant must A. stand behind an acceptable barrier. B. wear a lead apron with a collar. C. stand behind a lead-lined wall. D. stand at a minimum of 4 feet away.
6 feet from the X-ray unit. (To avoid scatter or leakage radiation, the operator must be at least 6 feet away from the X-ray source. )
Unless the dental assistant is behind a barrier, the assistant must never stand closer than A. 5 feet from the X-ray unit. B. 6 feet from the X-ray unit. C. 4 feet from the X-ray unit. D. 7 feet from the X-ray unit.
used for monitoring cumulative radiation dose due to ionizing radiation.
What is a film badge used for?
to emit light when struck by ionizing radiation (In comparison to film badges, TLDs give more accurate readings of low radiation doses and are less sensitive to extreme temperatures and humidity)
What is a thermoluminescent dosimeter used for?
MAD = (N - 18) x 5 rem/year = (20 - 18) x 5 = (2) x 5 = 10 rem
What is the formula provided by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements
0.5 rems/year
What is the maximum permissible dose of radiation allowed for pregnant dental personnel per year? A. 5 rems/year B. 2.5 rems/year C. 50 rems/year D. 0.5 rems/year
have the extension arm adjusted by a technician.
When the X-ray tubehead drifts after being positioned for exposure, the dental assistant should A. stabilize the tubehead with the patient's hand. B. have the position indicating device (PID) changed to a shorter length. C. have the extension arm adjusted by a technician. D. stabilize the tubehead with the assistant's hand.
secondary radiation. (When the primary beam strikes the patient, the patient's body tissues may release secondary radiation, which is generated and emitted by the patient. )
When the dental assistant is exposing radiographs on a patient, the patient may be a source of A. non-ionizing radiation. B. leakage radiation. C. secondary radiation. D. primary radiation.
at all times while the employee is at the dental office.
When utilizing a film badge, the employee should wear the badge A. only while the employee is exposing radiographs at work. B. at all times while the employee is at the dental office. C. at all times including when the employee leaves work. D. at all times and when the employee has medical X-rays taken.
Leakage radiation
Which of the following can be minimized by regularly maintaining X-ray machines? A. Overlapped images B. Leakage radiation C. Ionizing radiation D. Elongated images
At a 100-degree angle to the primary beam (the dental assistant should be at an angle of 90-135 degrees to the primary beam)
Which of the following describes where the dental assistant should stand in relationship to the primary beam? A. At a 20-degree angle to the primary beam B. At a 45-degree angle to the primary beam C. At a 60-degree angle to the primary beam D. At a 100-degree angle to the primary beam
The assistant must stand behind a barrier during the digital radiation exposure. (The dental assistant follows the same ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) guidelines for conventional intraoral and extraoral films when exposing digital radiographs. )
Which of the following guidelines does the dental assistant follow when exposing digital radiographs? A. The assistant stands at a 45-degree angle to the primary beam during exposure. B. The assistant stays in the room during exposure to view the image on the computer. C. The assistant must stand behind a barrier during the digital radiation exposure. D. There are no guidelines for exposure since digital radiographs use less radiation.
The patient should wear sterile gloves in addition to a lead apron
Which of the following is NOT an infection control practice that should be performed while exposing radiographs? A. Touch and splash surfaces should be disinfected after each patient. B. Critical items should be sterilized after each use. C. The patient should wear sterile gloves in addition to a lead apron. D. The dental assistant should wear gloves when placing cotton rolls in the patient's mouth.
Performing repairs to the X-ray collimator (Repairs to the X-ray unit should be scheduled by the dentist and performed by qualified technicians)
Which of the following is NOT the responsibility of the dental assistant? A. Performing repairs to the X-ray collimator B. Wearing a personnel monitoring device C. Providing lead aprons to patients before exposing X-rays D. Sterilizing the film holding device between patients
Genetic effects are passed on to succeeding generations. (Genetic effects are damage to the reproductive cells and are passed on to succeeding generations)
Which of the following is a characteristic of genetic effects? A. Genetic effects will damage the cells of the eye. B. Genetic effects will damage the cells of the skin. C. Genetic effects are passed on to succeeding generations. D. Genetic effects affect only the person being X-rayed.
Thyroid gland
Which of the following is a critical organ that is MOST likely to be affected during radiograph exposure? A. Thyroid gland B. Heart C. Liver D. Pituitary gland
Have the child sit on the parent's lap while both are covered with a lead apron. (The parent may hold the film while the child is seated on the parent's lap and both have lead aprons on. This is a single exposure for the parent)
Which of the following is acceptable when obtaining an X-ray of a pediatric patient who is unable to cooperate? A. Have the parent stand alongside the child while the parent stabilizes the film. B. Have the child use his/her fingers to hold the film stable during exposure. C. Have another dental assistant hold the film with his/her finger during exposure. D. Have the child sit on the parent's lap while both are covered with a lead apron.
Dermatitis
Which of the following is an example of an acute health effect of ionizing radiation exposure? A. Leukemia B. Skin cancer C. Dermatitis D. Genetic defects
The dental assistant routinely held film with his/her finger during exposures.
Which of the following is considered a chronic exposure for the dental assistant? A. The dental assistant routinely held film with his/her finger during exposures. B. The dental assistant followed ALARA concept routinely during radiographs. C. The dental assistant routinely used E speed film for intraoral radiographs. D. The X-ray machine had a faulty seal for a week before it was detected.
The dental assistant routinely held film with his/her finger during exposures.
Which of the following is considered a chronic exposure for the dental assistant? A. The dental assistant routinely held film with his/her finger during exposures. B. The dental assistant followed ALARA concept routinely during radiographs. C. The dental assistant routinely used E speed film for intraoral radiographs. D. The X-ray machine had a faulty seal for a week before it was detected.
5.0 rems/year
Which of the following is the maximum permissible dose of radiation allowed annually for occupationally exposed people? A. 0 rems/year B. 5.0 rems/year C. 50 rems/year D. 0.5 rems/year
Lithium fluoride
Which of the following materials is used in a thermoluminescent dosimeter to show radiation exposure? A. Sodium iodide B. Lithium fluoride crystals C. Titanium dioxide D. Calcium tungstate
Lead (Position indicating devices are lined with lead to prevent radiation loss)
Which of the following materials is used to line the position indicating device (PID) to reduce the emission of scatter radiation? A. Plastic B. Copper C. Lead D. Tungsten
The film badge contains radioresistant film that is impervious to extreme temperatures. (The dental office sends employee film badges to the monitoring company for processing and receives reports for each film badge. These reports should be kept with personnel records)
Which of the following statements about film badges is NOT true? A. The film badge contains radioresistant film that is impervious to extreme temperatures. B. The film badge report should be kept with the employee's personnel records. C. The film badge report shows the amount and direction of the radiation exposure. D. The film badge contains radiosensitive film that records exposure to radiation.
Leakage radiation
Which of the following types of radiation result from a faulty seal in an X-ray tubehead? A. Leakage radiation B. Secondary radiation C. Primary radiation D. Scatter radiation
The X-ray production will stop immediately.
Which of the following will occur when the dental assistant removes pressure from the X-ray machine's activation button? A. The X-ray production will continue. B. The X-ray production will not be affected. C. The X-ray production will stop immediately. D. The X-ray production will increase.
A film badge
Which of the following would be used to measure the amount of radiation dental personnel are exposed to? A. A film-holder B. A stepwedge C. A collimator D. A film badge
Time is directly proportional to exposure. (The length of time the dental assistant is exposed to radiation is directly proportional to the dose that will be received. The longer the exposure, the higher the dose. )
Which statement is TRUE of radiation exposure? A. Time is not related to exposure. B. Time is inversely proportional to exposure. C. Time is inversely proportional to the square of the exposure. D. Time is directly proportional to exposure.
to target material in the anode
Why is Tungsten used?
