Spectroscopic analyses reveal radiotherapy-induced variations in elemental composition and crystallite properties of human permanent teeth enamel.

Objective: To study the effect of radiation therapy on the structural and elemental composition of permanent teeth enamel in vitro.

Methods: Sections from 21 noncarious healthy human teeth were exposed to a cumulative radiation dose of 20-80 Gy. The sections were subjected to electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis to study the elemental composition, the ratio of inorganic and organic content, and the mineralization and crystalline properties of the hydroxyapatite crystal structure respectively.