Should the densitometric strips be exposed to X-rays?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not applicable
• D. Depends

Answer: (B)

Densitometric strips are used as fixed reference densities for film densitometry, providing a stable standard to check processing and exposure consistency. If these strips were irradiated, their optical density would change in an unpredictable way, which would spoil the calibration and make it impossible to tell whether any observed change comes from the imaging system or from the strip itself. For that reason, they should not be exposed to X-rays; they’re kept at known densities (often pre-exposed to a standard or used without irradiation) so readings reflect true variations in the radiographic performance rather than alterations of the reference.