Ace the 2026 DANB RHS Challenge – Radiate Confidence in Your Dental Journey!

The interaction of X-rays with matter can lead to the production of secondary radiation, which is the correct answer. When X-rays collide with atoms in a material, they can impart energy to the electrons in those atoms, potentially causing them to be ejected. This interaction can result in the emission of secondary radiation, such as characteristic radiation or Auger electrons, which are emitted from the material as it returns to a stable state after the X-ray has caused ionization.

Alpha radiation consists of helium nuclei and is generally emitted from heavy, unstable nuclei, resulting from nuclear decay processes, not from interactions with X-rays. Beta radiation involves high-energy, high-speed electrons or positrons and is also not typically produced during the interaction of X-rays with matter. In addition, neutron radiation involves the emission of neutrons from nuclear reactions or radioactive decay processes, which again is a separate phenomenon that does not arise from X-ray interactions.

Thus, secondary radiation is a distinct outcome of the interaction between X-rays and matter, as the original X-rays transfer energy to electrons, leading to the emission of new radiation forms.