What happens to x-rays absorbed by tissue instead of reaching the receptor?

Study for the Dental Radiology Foundation Chain and Physics Test. Enhance your skills with flashcards and multiple-choice questions, complete with hints and explanations. Prepare for your success!

Multiple Choice

What happens to x-rays absorbed by tissue instead of reaching the receptor?

When x-ray energy is absorbed by tissue, it deposits energy in the tissue, causing ionization of atoms and the formation of free radicals. These reactive changes disrupt cellular molecules and structures, leading to biologic damage. This is the mechanism behind harm from radiation that does not reach the receptor. Some photons may pass through tissue without interaction, or be scattered, but those events are not absorption in the tissue, and they don’t deposit energy in the same way. X-rays are not converted to sound waves by tissue.

When x-ray energy is absorbed by tissue, it deposits energy in the tissue, causing ionization of atoms and the formation of free radicals. These reactive changes disrupt cellular molecules and structures, leading to biologic damage. This is the mechanism behind harm from radiation that does not reach the receptor. Some photons may pass through tissue without interaction, or be scattered, but those events are not absorption in the tissue, and they don’t deposit energy in the same way. X-rays are not converted to sound waves by tissue.

More practice questions