Properties of tooth enamel in great apes

Lee, James J.-W.; Morris, Dylan J.; Constantino, Paul J.; Lucas, Peter W.; Smith, Tanya M.; Lawn, Brian R.

doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2010.07.023

Cited by 64 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…As noted above, Shore-D durometers cannot accurately assess H in materials that tend to be relatively soft. However, research on primate feeding behaviors has shown that food items in the extreme high end of hardness and stiffness-even if less preferred (i.e., ''fallback foods'')-are hypothesized to be the major drivers of primate masticatory anatomy (Kay, 1981;Kinzey and Norconk, 1990;Lambert et al, 2004;Lee et al, 2010). Thus, while the accurate sampling range for Shore-D durometers may not capture data in the softer range of a primate's diet, Shore-D durometers are capable of characterizing the hardness and stiffness of the food materials that are most mechanically challenging to consume and may therefore underlie feeding selective pressures.…”

Section: Darvell or Lucas Testers)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Technical note: Converting durometer data into elastic modulus in biological materials

Pampush

Daegling

Vick

et al. 2011

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

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Researchers have increasingly recognized the need to quantify the material properties of primate food items, particularly hardness (H) and stiffness (E), which is measured as elastic modulus. Assessing E in the field is particularly difficult because the typical equipment needed to perform the requisite analyses is expensive and cumbersome. Alternatively, researchers can use hand-held, relatively inexpensive, portable durometers that measure H on Shore scales. Shore-D durometers show a reliable ability to characterize H in harder-stiffer materials, and Shore-D measures in these materials can be reliably converted to E. Shore-A durometers-employed in past field studies of food properties-do not accurately characterize the properties of harder-stiffer materials, which are likely to be those materials exerting the greatest mechanical demands on primate masticatory morphology. We offer recommendations for Shore-D durometer usage in the field.

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Section: Darvell or Lucas Testers)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Technical note: Converting durometer data into elastic modulus in biological materials

Pampush

Daegling

Vick

et al. 2011

Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

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“…Similarly, if selection acts to minimize strain energy absorbed by the food item or to maximize tensile stress in the enamel, there should be a narrower range of RoCs among species that consume large food items and a broader range of RoCs among species that consume small food items. Pongo pygmaeus is known to be a seed predator, and consumes relatively large Mezzettia seeds [40,[52][53][54]. It also has a large coefficient of variation in tooth cusp RoC measurements, the largest of all the great apes (refer to table 2 [13]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of relative food item size on optimal tooth cusp sharpness during brittle food item processing

Berthaume

Dumont

Godfrey

et al. 2014

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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Teeth are often assumed to be optimal for their function, which allows researchers to derive dietary signatures from tooth shape. Most tooth shape analyses normalize for tooth size, potentially masking the relationship between relative food item size and tooth shape. Here, we model how relative food item size may affect optimal tooth cusp radius of curvature (RoC) during the fracture of brittle food items using a parametric finite-element (FE) model of a four-cusped molar. Morphospaces were created for four different food item sizes by altering cusp RoCs to determine whether optimal tooth shape changed as food item size changed. The morphospaces were also used to investigate whether variation in efficiency metrics (i.e. stresses, energy and optimality) changed as food item size changed. We found that optimal tooth shape changed as food item size changed, but that all optimal morphologies were similar, with one dull cusp that promoted high stresses in the food item and three cusps that acted to stabilize the food item. There were also positive relationships between food item size and the coefficients of variation for stresses in food item and optimality, and negative relationships between food item size and the coefficients of variation for stresses in the enamel and strain energy absorbed by the food item. These results suggest that relative food item size may play a role in selecting for optimal tooth shape, and the magnitude of these selective forces may change depending on food item size and which efficiency metric is being selected.

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“…Tooth size and morphology are other important factors in the evaluation of critical failure load. A comparison of failure loads in a study of different primate teeth showed that the general mechanical properties (elastic modulus and hardness) of primates' enamel are not significantly different and that the critical failure loads are only a function of teeth morphology and enamel thickness [36].…”

Section: On the Fracture Resistance Of Teethmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Mechanics of Fatigue and Fracture in Teeth

Yahyazadehfar

Ivancik

Majd

et al. 2014

Applied Mechanics Reviews

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Tooth fracture is a major concern in the field of restorative dentistry. However, knowledge of the causes for tooth fracture has developed from contributions that are largely based within the field of mechanics. The present manuscript presents a technical review of advances in understanding the fracture of teeth and the fatigue and fracture behavior of their hard tissues (i.e., dentin and enamel). The importance of evaluating the fracture resistance of these materials, and the role of applied mechanics in developing this knowledge will be reviewed. In addition, the complex microstructures of tooth tissues, their roles in resisting tooth fracture, and the importance of hydration and aging on the fracture resistance of tooth tissues will be discussed. Studies in this area are essential for increasing the success of current treatments in dentistry, as well as in facilitating the development of novel bio-inspired restorative materials for the future.

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Properties of tooth enamel in great apes

Cited by 64 publications

References 54 publications

Technical note: Converting durometer data into elastic modulus in biological materials

Technical note: Converting durometer data into elastic modulus in biological materials

The effects of relative food item size on optimal tooth cusp sharpness during brittle food item processing

On the Mechanics of Fatigue and Fracture in Teeth

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