Radiation shielding properties of high-density polyethylene (C₂H₄)/molybdenum III oxide (MoO₃) polymer composites for dental diagnostic applications

Concrete has been the mainstream material for the construction of dental diagnostic radiation shielding barriers. There is a need for lighter, rugged, and ready-made materials to replace concrete. The linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), half value layer (HVL) and percentage of heaviness of three different compositions of high-density polyethylene (C₂H₄)/molybdenum III oxide composites (MoO₃) were determined using XCOM computer program and validated using EpiXS computer program. The polymer composite (HDM3) with 15% MoO₃ and 85 % HDPE yielded a higher linear attenuation coefficient than concrete by 16.8%, 14.2 % and 19.9 % at 32.5 keV, 36.5 keV and 40.3 keV respectively. The half value layer (HVL) of HDM3 is also 20.2 % lesser than that of concrete. All the polymer composites investigated are more than 50% lighter than concrete. In conclusion, HDM3 could substitute the use of concrete in the construction of dental diagnostic facilities because of its better radiation shielding properties at 32.5 keV, 36.5 keV and 40.3 keV