The objective of this manual is to educate dental practice personnel in the basics of radiography, radiation equipment, "ALARA", infection control, films and film processing. The information provided will help reduce patient and staff exposure to radiation in a dental practice. First of all I would like to start with an overview of radiography. Radiography is the process of creating an image on film or a digital receiver by exposure to radiation. This x-ray allows the dental team to view and diagnose the images in hopes of providing the patient with the appropriate oral health care. X-rays were discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen and for his discovery he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. Professor Roentgen's innovation allowed others to build on his work and promote its usefulness in fields such as dentistry, especially oral radiography in dental practices. Secondly, I will discuss the types of equipment used in dental offices. The dental x-ray machine is a common device found in the dental office. Other machines used are the panoramic x-ray machine and the nomad, a portable x-ray machine. Dental x-ray machines differ in size and appearance but have all these parts in common, the head, the control panel and the extension arm. I'll go into more detail in the next paragraph. The tube header in an X-ray machine is sealed inside a metal casing and contains insulating oils, step-up transformer, step-down transformer, a filament circuit, lead collimator, anode, cathode, header gasket of the tube and lead glass or aluminium. The control panel is located on a wall a safe distance from the radiation exposure area so that it can be used safely. On the control panel you will find selection buttons......half of the card......and it becomes compromised. Other issues such as pressure or creasing of the film can cause the film to fog. Other chemicals can also contaminate the film, so proper storage is important. Heat and humidity should also be considered when storing film, and accidental exposure to light will also ruin the film. In summary, this manual provides an overview of radiography, x-ray equipment, the ALARA principle, infection control, film, and film processing. The purpose is to deepen the understanding of these concepts and aid in office implementation and improve patient and operator safety. Works Cited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centers_for_Disease_Control_and_Prevention http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiography http ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aribex#Portable_X-Ray_Device http://en .wikipedia.org/wiki/Infection_control http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygienehttp://www.sfvds.org /fil_files/19.pdf