Dosimetric response of tooth enamel to 14 Mev neutrons.

The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) response of tooth enamel in a monenergetic neutron beam of 14 MeV was studied, with the aim to evaluate the relative neutron to (60)Co sensitivity. Three samples of tooth enamel powder were irradiated in air. A whole tooth and a powdered sample were irradiated in a geometrical PMMA phantom, in order to simulate the real exposure of a tooth inside a human head. The measured dose in enamel was compared to the dose calculated by Monte Carlo simulation. The relative neutron to (60)Co sensitivity using different reference materials (air, water and enamel) was evaluated as well. Large differences in sensitivity values were found depending on the reference material: the obtained relative neutron to (60)Co sensitivity was 0.47+/-0.09 for enamel and 0.15+/-0.03 for water. A comparison with results in fast neutron fields is reported.