RESUMO
X-ray radiography (XR) is a standard imaging tool in human osteology. Here we compare a series of human bone and tooth images taken using both X-ray and thermal neutron radiography (TNR) to identify the possible applications of the latter method. The TNR imaging is superior in case of bones contaminated with soil, and combined TNR and XR images may be used to find the areas with high proportion of organic fraction (i.e., collagen) in bone and dentin.
Assuntos
Osso e Ossos/diagnóstico por imagem , Nêutrons , Osteologia/métodos , Radiografia/métodos , Antropologia Física , Humanos , Dente/diagnóstico por imagemRESUMO
Thermal neutron radiography and X-ray radiography are characterised by different penetration depths in various materials, for example in collagen and hydroxyapatite, two major components of bone. Neutron radiography penetrates hydroxyapatite easier than collagen and, conversely, in X-ray radiography attenuation is higher in hydroxyapatite than in collagen. This effect allows estimation of collagen presence in dry bone. In our study we show that differences between the two imaging methods are sufficient to produce significant results when bone areas with higher and lower content of collagen are being compared.
