A brief history of dental radiography.

The courage and determination of the early pioneers who persevered with experimentation with vacuum tubes over 100 years ago, led to the discovery of new rays by Wilhelm Konrad Röntgen; this was one of the greatest achievements in the field of medical science. Radiography's early pioneers suffered the cumulative effects of repeated radiation exposure that irreparably damaged tissues. Primitive x-ray equipment, photographic film, and techniques have improved immeasurably. Today, film monitoring ensures that radiation levels received by those involved with radiation are kept well within maximum permissible dose levels. Fast film, collimation, filtration, standardisation of x-ray film processing, and quality assurance programmes all contribute to the optimum radiograph while keeping radiation to a minimum.