[Determining the accumulated dose of gamma radiation in the tooth enamel]

Following ideas of Japanese and Canadian scientists the authors tried to develop practical application of dental enamel for dosimetry of gamma-radiation accumulated by an individual. Human teeth were irradiated in vitro with gamma-rays of 60Co and with x-rays, and the amount of free radicals in ++non-caries enamel was measured on an ESR spectrometer. Linear regression ESR signals on dose of radiation within an interval of 0.1-20 Gy were plotted for gamma- and x-rays with regression coefficients 0.276 and 0.693, respectively. These regressions were used for estimation of accumulated doses of gamma-radiation in 85 residents of Byelorussia and 301 residents of the Tomsk region during investigation of teeth that were removed in normal dental practice.