The influence of the saline and artificial saliva on gamma induced radical concentration in dental bone graft materials based on calcium sulfate studied by EPR spectroscopy

Abstract

Calcium sulfate (CS) is a reasonable alternative to autogenous dental bone graft and is used as a bone filler or for the treatment of bone defects. Medical grade CS must be sterilized, usually by gamma-irradiation. In this study the structures of CS polymorphs, calcium sulfate dihydrate and calcium sulfate hemihydrate, have been investigated with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analyses and infrared spectroscopy. The influences of saline and artificial saliva on gamma-induced radical concentrations have been monitored.