What is the primary effect of using intensifying screens in radiography?

• A. Increase image noise
• B. Decrease patient dose
• C. Increase exposure time
• D. Increase film fog

Answer: (B)

Intensifying screens boost the speed of the radiographic image receptor by turning X-ray energy into visible light. This light exposure makes the film reach the desired blackening with far fewer X-ray photons, so you can achieve the same image brightness with a much lower X-ray dose to the patient. In other words, the primary effect is a substantial dose reduction while maintaining diagnostic quality. There are trade-offs the tech must consider, such as some loss of sharpness due to light spread within the screen, but that doesn’t change the fact that the main benefit is reducing patient exposure.