Radiation effects on mouse incisor teeth following whole-body doses of up to 16 gray.

Experiments were performed to determine the threshold dose of radiation above which macroscopic tooth damage in C57BL mice occurs, the sequence of appearance of this damage, and the extent and rate of recovery in relation to radiation dose. Protection from the acute effects of radiation doses well in excess of the LD90 was obtained by the administration of non-absorbable antibiotics and bone marrow reconstitution, without the use of radioprotective drugs. However, gross effects on the incisors were observed at doses in excess of 10 gy. Body weight changes were to some extent linked with the incidence of tooth damage.