Radiology Intro Flashcards
what is a radiograph - explain the basic principles
It is an image produced when an x ray source passes through an object and interacts with a receptor. The receptor may be film (direct or indirect film) or digital (solid state sensor or phosphor plate). radiographs are good for looking at mineralised tissue within the body, particularly helpful because many disease processes intraorally cause demineralisation.
what are the different types of radioactive emissions?
alpha particles (large/heavy - slow & extensive ionisation), beta particles (small and fast however potential is less than of alpha particles), gamma rays (no weight, charge or mass - v fast)
explain the properties of x rays used in dentistry?
they cause ionisation, they are not involved in radioactive decay, identical to gamma rays but with lower energy (no weight, charge or mass and v fast)
what can ionisation cause?
it can cause damage to tissue when it occurs in living cells (eg cataracts), causes direct DNA damage or produce chemicals which cause damage (tumours/cancer)
what is the electromagnetic spectrum?
radio waves, microwaves, infra red, visible light, UV, x-ray, gamma rays. a stream of photons with no mass, X RAYS ARE SO SMALL THEREFORE ARE DESCRIBED BY THEIR ENERGY eV!!!!
explain the basics of electricity
voltage is the power or force it takes for that causes a current to move along a wire (or for electrons to move from a cathode to an anode)
how are x-rays produced in dentistry?
energy can neither be created nor destroyed (can only be changed from one to another). x-rays in dentistry produced by converting electricity to x ray generation.
