Retrospective biodosimetry with small tooth enamel samples using K-Band and X-Band

In an attempt to make the in vitro electron spin resonance (ESR) retrospective dosimetry of the tooth enamel a lesser invasive method, experiments using X-Band and K-Band were performed, aiming to determine conditions that could be used in cases of accidental exposures. First, a small prism from the enamel was removed and ground with an agate mortar and pestle until particles reach a diameter of approximately less than 0.5 mm. This enamel extraction process resulted in lower signal artifact compared with the direct enamel extraction performed with a diamond burr abrasion. The manual grinding of the enamel does not lead to any induced ESR signal artifact, whereas the use of a diamond burr at low speed produces a signal artifact equivalent to the dosimetric signal induced by a dose of 500 mGy of gamma irradiation. A mass of 25 mg of enamel was removed from a sound molar tooth previously irradiated in vitro with a dose of 100 mGy. This amount of enamel was enough to detect the dosimetric signal in a standard X-Band spectrometer. However using a K-Band spectrometer, samples mass between 5 and 10 mg were sufficient to obtain the same sensitivity. An overall evaluation of the uncertainties involved in the process in this and other dosimetric assessments performed at our laboratory indicates that it is possible at K-Band to estimate a 100 mGy dose with 25% accuracy. In addition, the use of K-Band also presented higher sensitivity and allowed the use of smaller sample mass in comparison with X-Band. Finally, the restoration process performed on a tooth after extraction of the 25 mg of enamel is described. This was conducted by dental treatment using photopolymerizable resin which enabled complete recovery of the tooth from the functional and aesthetic viewpoint showing that this procedure can be minimally invasive.