Methods of dose determination using ESR spectra of tooth enamel

In recent years, doubts have been cast on the validity of the conventionall y applied peak-to-peak method for dose estimation. Alternative methods are reviewed, including dose versus magnetic field plots, deconvolution using G aussian and Lorentzian line shapes, and fitting the absorption and derivati ve spectra with an experimentally derived spectrum of the CO2- radical. The latter methods most probably yield the most reliable results. Conventional peak-to-peak dose estimations are closely similar. On a 2-sigma basis, nea rly all methods yield statistically indistinguishable results. (C) 2000 Els evier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.