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PubMed · 1057152

X-ray production variability.

R E Buchholz
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Abstract

Some dental x-ray generators do not produce the quantity of x-rays expected at the kilovoltage and milliamperage setting made. A simple experiment was performed on five dental x-ray generators of three manufacturers to test their output in roentgens per minute at a range of kilovoltage and milliamperage settings. Each generator had variable kilovoltage and milliamperage capability. The recorded output was compared with its theoretic output. The results confirm the suspicion that considerable output variations exist and suggest a serious problem to the practitioner wishing to expand his radiographic technique armementarium.

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Radiography, DentalX-RaysJournal Article

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BibTeXRIS

R E Buchholz. 1975. X-ray production variability.. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-4220(75)90161-9

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PubMed1991

Influence of scattered radiation and tube potential on radiographic contrast: comparison of two different dental X-ray films.

The fundamental concept in image quality of contrast has been analysed in terms of its elements; film, radiation and object contrast, and the theoretical formula to describe their interrelationship have been evaluated. Experiments were designed to investigate the dependence of radiographic contrast on the kV, the type of generator and dental film used (D and E speed). An ivory wedge was used as the object, both alone and within a polymethyl methacrylate phantom as scattering medium. Precise definition and control of the X-ray generators were achieved by means of measurements of the primary X-ray spectra using a Compton spectrometer. D speed was found to have higher film contrast than E speed when compared at the same optical density, due to its lower base and fog and lower level of saturation in these experiments. On the other hand, E speed was found to have wider latitude. The experimental object was reproduced with the highest radiographic contrast using D-speed film and, with a given type of generator, this increased when the kV was decreased. While no difference in scatter/primary ratios was observed using the two different films, a weak dependence on kV in the range from 36 to 77 kV was found and confirmed by Monte Carlo calculations. The results indicate that the D and E speed films used had equal energy absorption properties; the difference in radiographic performance is due to their different film characteristics. The importance of controlling the physical parameters (photon energy spectrum, base and fog and optical density level) when comparing image qualities is clearly demonstrated.

Radiography, Dental↗