The Discovery of X-Ray: Early Adoption of X-Ray Technology in Dentistry
Abstract
This study examines how and why the X-ray has become an essential tool in the dental field. Based on primary literature from the works of dentists and scientists, X-ray was first used in dentistry in the 1950s. For that reason, this study analyses the changes in X-ray from its discovery to its technological advancement between 1890 and 1955. These changes are described by having a closer look at those who provoked the changes. The agents of change are categorized under people, technological artifacts as well as institutions.
The Discovery of X-Ray: Early Adoption of X-Ray Technology in Dentistry
In modern-day America, a patient’s visit to any dentist’s clinic follows a standardized procedure. First, the health history of the patient is determined and then in most cases, x-ray images are taken of the patient’s mouth. The images assist the dentist in diagnosing anomalies and issues such as tooth caries since the images show parts of the mouth that the doctor’s naked eyes cannot see. Before the discovery of x-ray technology, such images could not be taken and the inner jaws and tooth were not included in the dentist report. It has taken a little over one hundred years for an x-ray to change the dentistry field.
This paper aims at investigating how x-ray has overtime become such an indispensable tool in the modern-day dental field. This will be achieved through analyzing people, institutions and technology that have contributed towards the advancement of x-ray since its discovery. The paper’s second objective is to analyze why x-ray has become such an indispensable tool in dentistry. This analysis will be achieved through tracking the journey of x-ray from its discovery to today.
The Actor-Network Theory (ANT) is used in dental x-ray technology when hypothesizing its history. It’s applied as a tool for steering questions and possible research direction. Among the hallmark specs of ANT is that it makes equal agencies. Both the living and the non-living objects are viewed as equals in a conceptual network. When the discovery of x-ray and its absorption into the dental world is concerned, ANT offers a holistic view of the history giving equal weights to the various actors; people technology as well as institutions.
Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen was the first person to formally discover x-rays in the fall of 1895. He was a German researcher who did his research on energy and taught physics. Roentgen used his wife to administer the first test where he discovered that mystery rays created the light that he termed as “x-rays.” After this discovery was made public, it quickly made an entry into the scientific and medical communities.
The first decade following the discovery of x-ray was highlighted by a chain of presentations. Among the strong supporters in the dentistry field were Charles Edmund Kells as well as physician William J. Morton. As these initial supporters depicted enthusiasm while critics came up with health issues concerning the rays, some modifications were effected to suit the professional and safety goals of these peoples. Therefore, technological changes at this time were greatly influenced by particular people. X-ray was institutionalized with companies such as Kodak and groups such as the military exploring the x-ray. The period between 1890 and 1904 is fundamental as the development of x-ray was attributed to the spread of information rather than the mechanism of the technology. It was a time to experiment and adjust to the primary information on x-rays. Scientists created a hypothesis on the functions of x-rays while physicians and dentists explored the likely use of the rays in their practice.
The first quarter of the twentieth century saw the incorporation of x-ray technology into dentistry. Even though dentists and the mouth existed in the initial stages of the x-ray discovery, the technology became dental-specific in the years between 1905 and 1923. The concluding event of its discovery being the manufacture of the foremost x-ray machine in 1923. The institution behind this manufacture was Victor X-Ray Corporation. The contributions of the people like Ed C. Jerman as well as William D. Coolidge enabled dentistry to become science-based and that led to the assimilation of x-rays into dentistry. Over this period, certain technological advancements occurred such as the x-ray exposure technique an advancement for the basic apparatus.
In conclusion, after just a century following its discovery, x-ray has become an indispensable tool more so in the dental clinics. In twenty-first-century America, x-ray leads in the frequency of use when compared to other imaging technologies. The roots of x-rays indispensability in the dentistry field are founded upon the technology’s initial 50 years. The changes that transpired between 1890 and 1955 enabled x-ray to become ubiquitous in dentistry. The other half of the century was all about the development of technology, information and coming up with safety measures. The x-ray is so much more than a tool to assist dentists in diagnosing and treating dental issues. It is linked to stories of professional advancement, disease conceptualization as well as government regulations, most of which could be subject to further exploration.