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Determination of fracture toughness of human permanent and primary enamel using an indentation microfracture method

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Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the fracture toughness and Vickers microhardness number of permanent and primary human enamel using the indentation microfracture method. Crack resistance and a parameter indirectly related to fracture toughness were measured in 48 enamel specimens from 16 permanent teeth and 12 enamel specimens obtained from six primary teeth. The Vickers microhardness number of the middle portion was greater than the upper portion in primary enamel. The fracture toughness was highest in the middle portion of permanent enamel, because fracture toughness greatly depends upon microstructure. These findings suggest that primary teeth are not miniature permanent teeth but have specific and characteristic mechanical properties.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Prof. E. Tanner, School of Engineering Materials, Glasgow University, for her kind suggestions with respect to the format of this text. This study was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) (No. 22592279) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pediatric Dentistry, Department of Oral Health Science, Course for Oral Life Science, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 2-5274 Gakkocho-Dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata, 951-8514, Japan

    Sachiko Hayashi-Sakai

  2. Department of System and Automotive Engineering, Niigata College of Technology, Niigata, Japan

    Jun Sakai

  3. Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan

    Makoto Sakamoto

  4. Division of Periodontology and Endodontology, Department of Oral Biology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Sendai, Japan

    Hideaki Endo

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  1. Sachiko Hayashi-Sakai
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  2. Jun Sakai
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  3. Makoto Sakamoto
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  4. Hideaki Endo
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Correspondence to Sachiko Hayashi-Sakai.

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Hayashi-Sakai, S., Sakai, J., Sakamoto, M. et al. Determination of fracture toughness of human permanent and primary enamel using an indentation microfracture method. J Mater Sci: Mater Med 23, 2047–2054 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-012-4678-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-012-4678-3

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