Assessment of Radiation absorption parameters of lithium disilicate glass-ceramic used in dentistry: experimental and theoretical approaches

The primary scope of this study is to determine the gamma radiation absorption characteristics of a commercial LD glass-ceramic biomaterial through GAMOS simulation and Phy-X/PSD software, and then compare these results with experimental data to provide information about a radiation absorption property of this material. Elemental analyses of the LD glass-ceramic biomaterial were conducted in this research using X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. In the experimental study, gamma rays with energies from 81 keV to 1408 keV, emitted by sources such as ¹³³Ba, ¹⁵²Eu, ²²Na, ¹³⁷Cs, ⁵⁷Co, and ⁶⁰Co, were detected utilizing a gamma spectrometer with a 2″×2″ NaI(Tl) detector and associated electronic systems. The experimental radiation absorption data were analyzed alongside the results generated by the GAMOS simulation and the Phy-X/PSD program for comparison. The linear attenuation coefficients were 0.418, 0.361, 0.266, 0.289, 0.250, 0.208, 0.184, 0.175, 0.142, 0.177, 0.123, 0.123, 0.135, and 0.122 cm-1 at gamma energies of 81, 121.8, 276.4, 302.9, 356, 383.9, 511, 661.7, 779, 964.1, 1173.2, 1274.5, 1332.5, and 1408 keV, respectively. The mass attenuation coefficient values began to decrease rapidly as the gamma photon was increased to 1 MeV. Half value layer ranged from 1.315 cm at 81 keV to 6.243 cm at 1408 keV. Similarly, tenth value layer ​​also increased when photon energy increased. The mean free path values ​​vary between 2.394 cm^− 1 and 8.184 cm^− 1. In conclusion, it has been observed that the radiation absorption parameters of lithium disilicate dental biomaterial vary depending on the energy level.