PIXE detection limits for dental enamel from some human teeth by excitation with protons and 4He2+ ions from a 3 MeV Van der Graaff accelerator

Abstract A technique has been developed to measure elemental content in human teeth using H + and 4 He 2+ ion beam analysis. Teeth of Oradea inhabitants were sampled in two stomatological clinics in Oradea in the period of 2004 and 2005 years. Tooth samples were irradiated in vacuum with 2 MeV proton and 3 MeV alpha beams from a Van der Graaff electrostatic accelerator of EG-5 experimental facility in FLNP, JINR. The particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis, apart from determination of Ca, allowed an optimised detection of Cr, Cu, Fe and Zn above the detection limits by the use of Al and Mylar filters. The detection limits for K α X-rays using proton and alpha beams are determined and discussed.