Compositional Determinants of Mechanical Properties of Enamel

Dental enamel is comprised primarily of carbonated apatite, with less than 1% w/w organic matter and 4–5% w/w water. To determine the influence of each component on the microhardness and fracture toughness of rat incisor enamel, we mechanically tested specimens in which water and organic matrix were...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of dental research 2008-07, Vol.87 (7), p.645-649
Main Authors: Baldassarri, M., Margolis, H.C., Beniash, E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis of Variance
Animals
Biomechanical Phenomena
Crystallization
Dental Enamel - chemistry
Dental Enamel Proteins - chemistry
Dental Stress Analysis
Dentin - chemistry
Dentistry
Hardness
In Vitro Techniques
Incisor
Mandible
Rats
Research Reports Biomaterials & Bioengineering
Stress, Mechanical
Tooth Fractures - prevention & control
Water
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Dental enamel is comprised primarily of carbonated apatite, with less than 1% w/w organic matter and 4–5% w/w water. To determine the influence of each component on the microhardness and fracture toughness of rat incisor enamel, we mechanically tested specimens in which water and organic matrix were selectively removed. Tests were performed in mid-sagittal and transverse orientations to assess the effect of the structural organization on enamel micromechanical properties. While removal of organic matrix resulted in up to a 23% increase in microhardness, and as much as a 46% decrease in fracture toughness, water had a significantly lesser effect on these properties. Moreover, removal of organic matrix dramatically weakened the dentinoenamel junction (DEJ). Analysis of our data also showed that the structural organization of enamel affects its micromechanical properties. We anticipate that these findings will help guide the development of bio-inspired nanostructured materials for mineralized tissue repair and regeneration.
ISSN:0022-0345
1544-0591
DOI:10.1177/154405910808700711