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Exposure Factors and Quality of X-ray Images

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Exposure Factors and Quality of X-ray Images

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Voltage
- is the measurement of speed in which electrons move from negative cathode to positive anode in the tube head.
-The higher the voltage, the faster the electrons move, causing a penetrating x-ray beam with short wavelengths
-Dental x-ray equipment requires the use of high voltage energy, or kilovolts (kV)
-The kilovoltage regulates the speed and energy of the electrons and determines the penetrating ability of the x-ray beam.
-Therefore, in an area with denser/thicker bone, a greater kV is used to ensure that the x-ray is able to penetrate through the entire thing.
Density
- is the overall darkness or blackness of an image that is directed related to kilovoltage
- if the kilovoltage is increased (while other exposure factors remain the same) the image will have an increased density (aka will appear darker)
- if kilovoltage is decreased, the image has a decreased density and thus will appear lighter
Contrast
-how sharply dark and light areas differ on an radiograph.
-lower the kV, higher contrast= more differentiated areas (black, white, and few shades of grey)
-higher kV, lower contrast= less differentiated areas (lots of shades of grey)
Exposure Time
- refers to the interval of time during which x-rays are produced.
-the timer on an x-ray machine determines how long the x-rays will be emitted
-timer may be calibrated by either seconds or impulses (x-rays created in a series of bursts/pulses as opposed to a continuous stream)
- longer exposure time= more x-rays emitted thus darker images
-Kilovoltage and exposure time are inversely related
-When kV is decreased, exposure time is increased

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Exposure Factors and Quantity of X-ray Images

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Exposure Factors and Quantity of X-ray Images

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Amperage and Milliamperage
- determines the amount of electrons passing through the cathode filament.
- as you increase in number of electrons, it results in an increased number of x-rays that can be taken
-generally, dental x-ray equipment uses milliampere as the unit of measurement.
-Generally, you increase milliamperage when the area to be examined is thicker or denser.
Density
-as you increase the milliamperage, the density of the image increases and therefore produces a darker image.
as you decrease milliamperage, the density of the image decreases and thus creates a lighter image.
Exposure Time
-milliamperage and exposure time are inversely related
-if the milliamperge was increased, the exposure time decreased
if the milliamperage was decreased, the exposure time increased.

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kV = quality
mA- quantity
k stays with l
m stays with n

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-The distance the x-ray beam has to travel affects the intensity of the x--ray beam
-As x-rays travel from their point of origin or away from the target

anode, they diverge like waves of light and spread out to cover

a larger surface area
-Some distances to consider include:
-target to surface distance
- target to object distance
-target to receptor distance
- The inverse square law states that the intensity of radiation is inversely proportional to the square of the distance of the source.
-For example, if the target-receptor distance is doubled, the beam is 1/4 as intense

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-changing just one of these exposure factors (kV, mA, exposure time) can potentially impact the image produced.
-majority of x-ray machines only allow the exposure time to be changed. This allows for less confusing when taking radiographs and increases the likeliness of a great quality radiograph.