High Radiation Doses from Radiotherapy Measured by Electron Spin Resonance in Dental Enamel

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Abstract
For radiotherapy, an error in the complicated treatment planning or treatment procedure is a possibility, however remote. Thus, in the present study electron spin resonance (ESR) in dental enamel was investigated for the first time as a means of retrospective dosimetry for validating applied radiotherapy doses to the head and neck regions. Total absorbed radiation doses measured by ESR in dental enamel were compared to the doses determined by treatment planning for 19 patients who received radiotherapy for intra-oral, pharyngeal or laryngeal malignancies, or total-body irradiation prior to bone marrow transplants (BMT). For the 15 tumour irradiations there was, within the framework of the tooth positions as presented, general agreement between the treatment planned and ESR dose determinations. There were, however, both significant and minor discrepancies. For the BMT patients there were major discrepancies for two of the four patients investigated. This study indicates that ESR in dental enamel may be useful as the only means of retrospective dosimetry for validating applied radiotherapy doses after treatment. However, further research must be carried out before this technique can be accepted as accurate and reliable.

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