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Updated: Oct 20, 2026

Microhardness Measurements on Tooth and Alveolar Bone in Rodent Oral Disease Models
Published on: April 26, 2024
Dental wear in horses in relation to the microhardness of enamel and dentine
S Muylle1, P Simoens, R Verbeeck
1Department of Morphology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UG, Merelbeke, Belgium.
Abstract:
The microhardness of enamel, primary dentine and secondary dentine was determined in the incisor teeth of 39 horses of three different breeds, trotter horses, Belgian draft horses and Arab horses. Using a microhardness tester fitted with a Knoop diamond indenter, the overall Knoop Hardness Number was determined for each tissue, and the influence of breed and age on the hardness were evaluated. Enamel and secondary dentine were significantly harder in Arab horses than in trotters and Belgian draft horses, but there were no significant differences between draft horses and trotter horses in the hardness of their enamel and dentine.
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