Radiology
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- What are the 3 types of wastes that dental radiology generates?
- Waste solid, x-ray processing solution effluent, and medical waste.
- What actually does the developer do to the emulsion?
- It softens the gelatin and allows the solution to chemically reduce the energized silver halide crystals by precipitating silver on the film base.
- When is an automatic processor replenished?
- Each time piece of film is fed into the unit, a few drops of fixer and developer are added directly to the baths.
- What are dental offices classified as under the federal statute?
- Conditionally exempt small quantity generators.
- Why is a replenisher added to processing solutions and can water be a replenisher?
- A replenisher is added to bring the solutions up to their desired fluid levels so that films are immersed in solution and water should NEVER be used as a replenisher.
- What two ways can films be dried?
- By the use of an x-ray drier or by hanging them on towel racks to air dry.
- What can excessive fixing solution do to film? (ex. 2-3 days of fixing)
- It can remove the image from the film.
- How long must a film stay in the fixing solution?
- For at least 10 minutes.
- How long does the coin need to stay on the unexposed film?
- 3 minutes and then the film needs to be processed
- When do radiographs contain a latent image?
- After having been exposed by radiation.
- How can silver be recovered from the processed radiographs?
- By ashing the film above the melting point of silver.
- Why is it so vital to process a good film?
- To diagnose.
- The pattern of energizing the silver halide crystals depends on what?
- The densities of the tooth and bone that the radiation must first go through before it hits the film.
- How many ounces of replenishment are added daily to developer and fixer solutions?
- Eight.
- What does x-ray processing solution effluent consist of?
- The liquid waste coming from the x-ray processing chemicals.
- How is rapid processing done?
- With the use of higher solution temperatures, concentrated solutions, and agitation of the film.
- How often should film rollers be cleaned?
- At the beginning of each day by running an extra oral size film to clean through the rollers.
- What are the purposes of the lids that close the processing solutions?
- The cover protects developing films from accidental exposure to white light and prevents oxidation and evaporation of the processing solutions.
- Which are more sensitive to light, panoramic films or periapical films?
- Periapical films.
- What is the major advantage of automatic processing?
- Is the maintenance of standardized procedure; such as solutions of proper strength, correct temperature, and regulated processing time.
- What two ways can residual silver be seperated from the fixer solution and water bath?
- Through chemical precipitation and electrolysis.
- What should be recorded when processing radiographs?
- The patient's name, chart number, the number of films, the number or letter on which the films were placed, and the date.
- What three solutions does an automatic processer usually have?
- Developer, fixer, and water bath. ( There is no water bath between the developer and the fixer)
- What factors determine how big a darkroom should be?
- The number of radiographs processed, the number of dental professionals handling the processing, teh type of processing to be done (manual or automatic), and the space for duplicating, drying and storing of films.
- What responsibiliities does the dental hygienist have in maintaining the darkroom?
- Clean the room, change the solutions, keep records of radiographs processed, and maintain a quality assurance program.
- What king of faucet head is most convenient for tank cleaning and solution changing?
- A gooseneck faucet because the long neck allows enough room to place the tanks under the faucet.
- What will happen if films dry and they are overlapped?
- They will stick and the emulsion will rip.
- Which is easier to prevent, darkroom errors or chairside errors?
- Darkroom errors.
- How do the images on films compare from rapid processing to the standard processing?
- In rapid processing, the density and definition in the images is not comparable.
- What is the transport system of the automatic processor made of?
- Rollers or tracks, driven by gears, belts, or chains. Films are moved from solution to solution and then to the drying chamber.
- What are the 5 majjor lighting systems in a drakroom?
- The illuminating safelight, the overhead white light, a viewing safelight, an x-ray viewbox, and an outside warning light.
- What two cheap, but important radiographic pieces of equipment complete a darkroom?
- A timind device and a thermometer.
- To determine temperature, what solution must the thermometer be placed in? (water bath, developer, etc.)
- The developer.
- Why should processing solutions be stirred?
- To equalize temperature and chemical distribution.
- Under normal working conditions, how often should the developer and fixing solutions be changed?
- Every 2 to 3 weeks.
- What is the only acceptable way to process a film?
- Using the time-temperature method.
- If the silver halide crystals become more precipitated, what will be the color on the film after processing it?
- Radiolucent or black.
- What is a darkroom?
- A room in the dental office set aside for radiographic processing.
- What do light leaks do to the films?
- They cause fogged film, which is less diagnostic.
- How long should the operator wait before inserting a film after another?
- At least 10 seconds.
- What does waste solid consist of?
- X-ray film packaging, lead foil.
- When storing film in darkroom cabinets, what temp can the room NOT get to?
- 90 degrees F or else the film will become fogged.
- What does the medical wastes consist of?
- Intraoral dental packets that have been contaminated by blood or blood components and saliva.
- What are the essential requirements and components of a darkroom?
- Be light tight, have a safelight, processing tanks, thermostatically controlled water supply, thermometer, timer, film hangers, drying racks, and storage space.
- Do the chemical solutions in film processing loose their strength when exposed to air?
- Yes.
- What is the minimum number of square feet that the darkroom can be?
- 16 sq. ft. (4 x 4)
- Why is it bad to retake a film on a patient?
- Because you double the radiation exposure to the patient.
- What does the coin test check for?
- To test the safelight.
- How long is the film kept in the "stop bath" after the developer?
- About 20 seconds.
- How long does it take a film to process in a automatic processor?
- 4 to 7 minutes.
- What happens if films are left in the developer too long?
- More silver becomes precipitated and the film becomes black.
- Which processing solution is first?
- The developer.
- What is the main purpose of the water bath after the developer?
- To remove the developer from the film so that the development process stops.
- What is the pH of the developer and is it acidic or basic?
- The pH is over 7 and it is basic.
- Should the walls of the darkroom be white or black?
- Light in color because it can reflect the safelight.
- What is a safelight?
- It is illumination that does not affect the x-ray film, and it is of long wavelengths in the red/orange range of the spectrum.
- Can the lead foil from the film packets be thrown away in the garbage?
- No.
- When is rapid processing used?
- In cases where time is more important than detail, like after an extraction.
- How do the processing solutions stay at a desired temperature?
- They have a thermostatically controlled flow valve that changes the temperature of a water bath.
- How long does a film stay in the fixing solution for it to be called a "wet reading?"
- 3 minutes and then it can be viewed on a view box.
- How soon after exposing a film to radiation, must it be put into the developer?
- As soon as possible.
- How often should developer and fixer solutions be replenished?
- Daily.
- What does the fixer solution step do?
- It removes the underexposed and underdeveloped silver halide crystals from the film emulsion and rehardens the emulsion.
- Why should every film processor have thermostatic valve?
- To control water intake and to maintain constant temperatures of solutions.
- What should be done to the processing solutions if the film produces a "thin image?"
- The solutions should be changed, even if it is before the scheduled change date.
- What color has replaced the old red safelight?
- Yellow, because one can see better with yellow light.