Three-dimensional biofunctional adaptation in human tooth

Abstract

It is understood that once human tooth erupts into the oral cavity it models or adapts to the functional requirements imposed on it. In this study, experiments were conducted to evaluate the nature of dentine mineralization and mechanical property gradients using fluoroscopic X-ray imaging and instrumented micro-indentation techniques respectively. It was found that dentine adapts as a complex structure with significant gradients in its mineralization and elastic modulus. A significant relationship between the pattern of mineralization and the spatial gradients in mechanical properties was observed in the sagittal and cross-sections of the dentine. The natural gradation in the mechanical properties is explained by the two-dimensional and three- dimensional stress analysis conducted in anatomical scaled dento-osseous models using digital photoelasticity. This work highlights dentine structure as a biologically adapted Functionally Graded Material.