Term | Definition |
Radiation | A form of energy carried by waves or a stream of particles |
X-ray | A beam of energy that has the power to penetrate substances and record image shadows on photographic film or digital sensors |
Radiograph | A two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional object |
Radiography | The art and science of making radiographs by the exposure of film to x-rays |
Image | A picture or likeness of an object |
Dental Imaging | the process of producing an image of teeth and related structures by radiographic techniques |
X-radiation | A high-energy radiation produced by the collision of a beam of electrons with a metal target in an x-ray tube |
Radiology | The study of radiation as used in medicine; a branch of medical science that deals with the use of x-rays, radioactive substances, and other forms of radiant energy in the diagnosis and treatment of disease |
Dental radiograph | Two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional object produced on an image receptor by the passage of x-rays through teeth and related supporting structures |
Dental radiography | The production of radiographs of teeth and adjacent structures by the exposure of an image receptor to x-rays |
Image receptor | a recording medium; examples include x-ray film or digital sensors |
Uses of dental radiographs | Detect lesions, disease and conditions
Confirm or classify suspected diseases
Localize lesions or foreign objects
Provide information during dental procedures
Evaluate growth and development |
Uses of dental radiographs continued | Illustrate changes secondary to caries, periodontal disease, and trauma
Document the condition of a patient at a specific point in time
Aid in clinical treatment plan
Used as a diagnostic tool during assessment procedures |
Uses of dental radiographs continued | A necessary component of comprehensive patient care
Import aid in patient education
Used to detect oral disease
Used to detect condition of teeth that cannot be seen clinically
Provide a permanent record of the patient's oral condition |
Uses of dental radiographs continued | Used for legal evidence
Used for forensic purposes |
Dental X-ray Machine Operator | Any member of the dental team who positions, exposes, and processes a dental x-ray receptor (x-ray film or digital sensor) |
Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen | German physicist
Produced and detected electromagnetic radiation (x-rays)
Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901
Father of Diagnostic Radiology
First radiograph was taken of his wife's hand and ring |
Dr. Otto Walkoff | Developed first dental radiographs in 1896
He was both the patient and the dentist
Exposure time was 25 minutes
Diagnostic quality left a great deal to be desired |
Dr. Edmund Kells | First practical use of radiographs in dentistry in 1896
Lost an arm due to overexposure while experimenting with xrays |
First dental radiographs made in the United States | Made in 1896 with the use of Eastman NC roll film wrapped in black paper |
William Rollins | Developed the first dental x-ray unit in 1896
Reported burns to his hands because he held the film in the patient's mouth during exposure and recommended lead shielding of both the x-ray tube and the patient and worker |
William David Coolidge | Invented the x-ray tube (Coolidge tube)
First high-vacuum x-ray tube with a heated cathode as the source of electrons
Significantly increased radiation intensity
Allowed reliable control and fine adjustment |