Radiation History and Dental Image Characteristics

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing basic terminology, historical discoveries, key pioneers, equipment, and technique developments in dental radiography.

Radiation

A form of energy carried by waves or a stream of particles.

X-radiation

A high-energy radiation produced by the collision of a beam of electrons with a metal target in an x-ray tube.

X-ray

A beam of energy that has the power to penetrate substances and record image shadows on receptors such as photographic film or digital sensors.

Radiology

The science or study of radiation as used in medicine; a branch of medical science that deals with the therapeutic use of x-rays, radioactive substances, and other forms of radiant energy.

Radiograph

An image or picture produced on a receptor by exposure to ionizing radiation; a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional object.

Dental radiograph

A photographic image produced on a receptor by the passage of x-rays through teeth and related structures.

Radiography

The art and science of making radiographs by the exposure of a receptor to x-rays.

Dental radiography

The production of radiographs of the teeth and adjacent structures by the exposure of an image receptor to x-rays.

Dental radiographer

Any person who positions, exposes, and processes dental x-ray image receptors.

Image

A picture or likeness of an object

Image receptor

A recording medium used in imaging, such as x-ray film, phosphor plate, or digital sensor.

Dental imaging

The creation of digital, print, or film representations of anatomic structures for the purpose of diagnosis.

Uses of dental images

Detect lesions, diseases, or foreign objects

Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen

FATHER OF XRAYS. A Bavarian physicist who discovered x-rays on November 8, 1895, and was awarded the first Nobel Prize in physics. Wilhelm Roentgen's first medical x-ray of his wife's hand, taken on December 22, 1895, using a 15-minute exposure.

Cathode rays

Streams of charged particles emitted from the negative electrode of a vacuum tube that travel in straight lines, produce heat, and cause a greenish fluorescence.

Yrjo Paatero

Known as the father of panoramic radiography, a Finnish researcher who experimented with slit beam radiography, intensifying screens, and rotational techniques.

Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT)

A three-dimensional digital imaging technology introduced to dentistry in 1998 that allows viewing of oral and maxillofacial structures without magnification, distortion, or superimposition.

Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (OMFR)

The ninth specialty program recognized by the American Dental Association in 1999, providing advanced training in oral and maxillofacial diagnosis and radiation management.