Biological and Physical Anthropology Commons^™

Fracture Susceptibility Of Worn Teeth, Amanda Keown, Mark Bush, James Lee, Chris Ford, Paul Constantino, Brian Lawn

Paul J. Constantino

An experimental simulation study is made to determine the effects of occlusal wear on the capacity of teeth to resist fracture. Tests are carried out on model dome structures, using glass shells to represent enamel and epoxy filler to represent dentin. The top of the domes are ground and polished to produce flat surfaces of prescribed depths relative to shell thickness. The worn surfaces are then loaded axially with a hard sphere, or a hard or soft flat indenter, to represent extremes of food contacts. The loads required to drive longitudinal cracks around the side walls of the enamel to …