Conventional
Radiography
Dr Amar Sholapurkar
BDS, MDS (Oral Medicine and Radiology)
Cairns. Queensland ‐ 4878.
[Link]
DENTAL FILMS,
INTENSIFYING
SCREENS AND GRIDS
X-RAY FILM
X-ray films - recording medium or image
receptors that record diagnostically useful
information carried by x-ray beam after passing
through region of interest
EXTRAORAL FILM
• Defined as one that is
placed outside the
mouth during x-ray
exposure.
• Used to examine large
areas of the skull or
jaws.
• Eg. Panoramic films,
Cephalometric films
Posterio-anterior(PA)
• Advantages
- usually easier than intraoral
- minimal equipment needed
• Indications for use
- patient has limited opening
- area to be viewed is larger
EXTRAORAL FILM SIZES
• Skull films
5 X 7 inch & 8 X 10 inch sizes
• Panoramic films
5 X 12 inch & 6 X 12 inch sizes.
Radiographic Cassette
• Light-tight container in which film(between the
intensifying screens) is placed
• Rigid or flexible
• Flat or curved
• Varying sizes
• Have “L” or “R” identification
Rigid metal cassette
Flexible vinyl cassette
Intensifying Screens
What is an Intensifying Screen?
• Part of the radiographic cassette
• They contain phosphors that emit visible light when
struck with x-ray photons
• Usage of screens result in lowered patient doses
Imaging Process
X-Rays are Light Light
Screen emits
absorbed by reaches the exposes the
light
a screen film film
Light Emission
film
= phosphor crystal
Screen Construction
Film
• protective layer
• phosphor layer
• reflecting layer
One
• base support layer screen
RADIOGRAPHIC GRIDS
Maximum scatter radiation produced
within the patient is through
______
COMPTON scattering
SCATTER
SCATTER
What is a Grid?
• Acts as a filter to remove scatter radiation before it hits the
film
• Placed between the subject and the film
• Without a grid, radiographic fog is produced on the film
which degrades the diagnostic quality
Grid Structure
• Composed of high X-ray transmitting material and
high X-ray absorbing material, each aligned
alternately and regularly
• Transmitting material - plastic
• Absorbing material - lead strips
GRID CONSTRUCTION
Transmitting Material
High quality grids can attenuate
80%-90% of scatter radiation
PROCESSING OF AN X RAY
FILM
Dental X-Ray Film Processing
• Processing is the general term used to describe the
sequence of events required to convert the invisible
latent image into the visible, permanent
radiographic image
• This processing is done using special chemicals
Manual Processing Procedure
• 2003. Elsevier science (USA) and [Link]
• [Link]
2003. Elsevier science (USA)
Automatic Processor
[Link]
• Processing done by machine
• We have the system of rollers to carry the film
through various compartments
Film
Film
Exit Dryer
Entry
(heater, fan)
Developer Fixer Wash
Processing
Errors
Blank image
• A film that didn’t receive radiation will have no
image and will appear clear
Exposure levels
too dark correct density too light
Dark film
Dark Film
A dark film can result from any of the following:
• Overexposure
excessive mA, peak kvp, time
film-source distance too short
• Processing errors
Overdevelopment and hot developer solution
developer concentration too high
inadequate fixation
accidental exposure to light
Light film
Light Film
A light film can result from any of the following:
• Underexposure
insufficient mA, peak kvp, time
film source distance is too great
film packet reversed in mouth
• Processing errors
underdevelopment
depleted developer solution
diluted or contaminated developer
excessive fixation
DARK
AREAS
Dark Areas
• Developer spots
• Yellow/brown staining
• Dark lines
• Finger and nail print
• Thin black tree branching lines
• Films overlapped during processing
• Film bending
Dark spots – developer contamination
If drops of developer accidentally contact the film
prior to processing
• 2003. Elsevier science (USA) and [Link]
• [Link]
Yellow/brown stain – depleted fixer
If the film is not adequately fixed, the undeveloped
crystals will not be removed from the film, resulting in
a yellowish-brown stain.
• 2003. Elsevier science (USA) and [Link]
• [Link]
Dark lines
If the automatic processor is not cleaned properly, the
rollers may become dirty . This results in black lines on
the film.
• 2003. Elsevier science (USA) and [Link]
• [Link]
Finger nail print
• Appears as black crescent shape mark
• Occurs due to mishandling of film emulsion
• 2003. Elsevier science (USA) and [Link]
• [Link]
Finger print
• Developer solution on fingertips will produce black
markings on the final radiograph.
• Fixer solution on fingertips will produce white
markings on final radiograph
• 2003. Elsevier science (USA) and [Link]
• [Link]
Thin black tree branching lines
If the film is removed too quickly from the packet
(intraoral) or from the film box or cassette (extraoral), it
may create friction, resulting in a static discharge. This
may create black dots, lines or tree-branch patterns.
• 2003. Elsevier science (USA) and [Link]
• [Link]
Films overlapped during processing
If films are fed into the automatic processor too
quickly, the films may overlap each other.
• 2003. Elsevier science (USA) and [Link]
• [Link]
Film Bending (black lines)
• 2003. Elsevier science (USA) and [Link]
• [Link]
Scratched film
White lines appear on the film due to careless
handling of the film.
• 2003. Elsevier science (USA) and [Link]
• [Link]
LIGHT
AREAS
Light areas
• Fixer spot
• Air bubble artifact
Light spots – fixer contamination
Occurs if drops of fixer accidentally contact the film
prior to processing
• 2003. Elsevier science (USA) and [Link]
• [Link]
Air bubble artifacts
• Occurs due to failure to agitate the film as it is placed
in the developer
• An air pocket occurs and the developing agent
cannot reach the emulsion
• 2003. Elsevier science (USA) and [Link]
• [Link]
Miscellaneous errors
Double exposure
• 2003. Elsevier science (USA) and [Link]
• [Link]
Failure to remove
appliances
Failure to Remove Appliances
In this patient, both upper and lower removable partial
dentures were left in the mouth.
R L
• 2003. Elsevier science (USA) and [Link]
• [Link]
This film is unnecessary
• 2003. Elsevier science (USA) and [Link]
• [Link]
References
• Stuart C. White, Michael J. Pharoah, Oral Radiology: Principles and
Interpretation. 7th Edition. Elsevier; 2013.
• Eric Whaites, Nicholas Drage, Essentials of Dental Radiography and
Radiology, 5th Edition. Elsevier; 2013.
• JCU Radiology lecture series
• This presentation also includes images, animations and texts from
[Link]
• 2003. Elsevier science (USA)
• [Link]