Properties of tooth enamel in great apes
Source abstract
Abstract
A comparative study has been made of human and great ape molar tooth enamel. Nanoindentation techniques are used to map profiles of elastic modulus and hardness across sections from the enamel-dentin junction to the outer tooth surface. The measured data profiles overlap between species, suggesting a degree of commonality in material properties. Using established deformation and fracture relations, critical loads to produce function-threatening damage in the enamel of each species are calculated for characteristic tooth sizes and enamel thicknesses. The results suggest that differences in load-bearing capacity of molar teeth in primates are less a function of underlying material properties than of morphology.
Source: europepmc · Quality: candidate unverified · Source record ↗
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Dental materials and restorations · Primate Behavior and Ecology · Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
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