History of X-Rays Discovery

Digital Radiography

• Digital radiography captures images using digital sensors that convert X-rays into electrical signals.
• Digital radiography technology uses exposures 50% to 80% less than conventional film.

Digital Radiography Process

• A laser beam of near-red wavelengths is used to scan the plate in digital radiography to capture the latent image.
• A computer is still needed in every digital radiography system to process the image.

Sensors

• Active pixel sensors use an active pixel technology to reduce required system power by a factor of 100.
• Active pixel sensors are used in digital radiography.

History of X-rays

• Wilhelm Conrad Röentgen discovered X-rays in 1895.
• Wilhelm Conrad Röentgen initially observed a glowing fluorescent screen in a darkened room.
• Edmund Kells is credited with the first practical use of radiographs in dentistry.
• The first radiograph of the human body was taken by Wilhelm Conrad Röentgen.
• Dr. Otto Walkhoff produced the first recorded dental radiograph by exposing a photographic plate in his own mouth.

Digital Imaging in Dentistry

• The main limitation of systems with a field of view in the form of a cone is that they can only capture a limited area.
• The digital format STL (STereoLithography) is commonly used in video technology scanners for describing a succession of triangulated surfaces.

Intraoral Camera Systems

• The CEREC Bluecam intraoral camera requires a powder contrast medium.
• The CEREC Omnicam is an evolution of CEREC Bluecam and incorporates videophotometry technology.
• The CEREC Primescan focuses mainly on producing restorations as a chairside system.

Digital Workflow in Dentistry

• The first step of the digital workflow in dentistry is to capture the digital impression.
• The gold standard method for obtaining a reference model in dentistry is to use a physical impression.
• An Intraoral Scanner (IOS) in dentistry consists of a handheld scanner, a computer, and software.
• There are two types of Intraoral Scanners (IOS): active and passive.
• The final restoration can be designed and milled directly as part of the digital workflow in dentistry.

Test your knowledge on the history of X-rays discovery, including the year of discovery, the discoverer, and the subsequent Nobel prize awarded for the discovery.