Radiotherapy in the head and neck region influences the chemical and mechanical properties of intraradicular dentin

To investigate the chemical and mechanical properties of intraradicular dentin submitted to radiotherapy. Sixteen mandibular incisors were divided into two groups (n = 8): non-irradiated and irradiated. The irradiated teeth were obtained from head and neck radiotherapy patients, with a total dose ranging from 70.2 to 72 Gy divided into 1.8 Gy daily. After sample preparation, intraradicular dentin slices of each root third were evaluated by Raman spectroscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and Knoop microhardness test. Data were analyzed by Two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (α = 0.05). In Raman spectroscopy, carbonate and amide III showed a significant difference for irradiation and third (carbonate p = 0.021 and p