Radiologic Science Radiographs are important to treatment planning a patient because they allow us to see the bones and teeth which are covered by the skin and gums. With this information, one can determine the extent to which a patients malocclusion is the result of bony defects versus dental defects. By adjusting any of theses three parameters, you change the quality of the image. Radiographs are formed for the transmission of energy through space and matter in the form of radiation. There are two types of radiation - particulate and electromagnetic.
Particulate radiation consists of atomic nuclei or subatomic particles moving at high velocities.
Examples of particulate radiation include alpha rays, beta rays and cathode rays. Alpha rays high speed double ionized Helium nuclei consisting or two protons and two neutrons with an atomic number of 2 and atomic mass of 4. 1 atomic mass unit Neutrons have no charge and weigh 1 atomic mass unit. Electrons have a negative 1 charge and are so small that their mass can be ignored. Alpha rays result from the decay of many radioactive elements naturally.