Dentinogenesis imperfecta - hardness and Young's modulus of teeth

Dentinogenesis imperfecta type II (DI-II) is the most common dental genetic disease with reported incidence 1 in 8000. Elasticity and hardness of the enamel of teeth are important values which are connected with their resistance to attrition. It is hypothesized that values of physical properties for healthy teeth and teeth with DI-II are different. The aim of the study was to investigate some physical properties of teeth extracted from patients with DI-II in comparison with normal teeth. The material of the study was six teeth: three lower molars, with clinical signs of DI-II, which were extracted due to complications of pulp inflammation and three other lower molars which were extracted for orthodontic reasons - well formed, without any signs of pathology. The surfaces of DI-II and normal teeth were tested on the CSM Instruments Scratch Tester machine (producer CSEM Switzerland) by Oliver and Pharr method. The indenter used was Vicker's VG-73 diamond indenter. Additionally, the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis of the surface of the teeth with DI-II was made. Vickers hardness of the teeth with dental pathology (DI-II) was seven times smaller, and Young's modulus six times smaller than those of healthy teeth. The parameters of hardness and elasticity of enamel of teeth with clinical diagnosis of DI-II were very much smaller than in normal teeth and because of that can be responsible for attrition.