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Mimicking and Measuring Occlusal Erosive Tooth Wear with the "Rub&Roll" and Non-contact Profilometry
Published on: February 2, 2018
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Mechanical modelling of tooth wear
Aleksis Karme1, Janina Rannikko2, Aki Kallonen3
1Department of Geosciences and Geography, Division of Biogeosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland aleksis.karme@helsinki.fi.
Journal of the Royal Society, Interface
|July 15, 2016
Summary
This study used a chewing machine to simulate different diets on horse teeth. Results show that while microwear patterns can be replicated, they don't always directly predict tooth wear rates.
Area of Science:
- Paleontology
- Dental Microwear Analysis
- Bio-mechanics
Background:
- Dental wear patterns are crucial for reconstructing past diets (palaeodiet).
- Limited experimental research exists on the combined effects of diet and wear on dental structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if a mechanical masticator can replicate natural tooth wear and microwear patterns.
- To analyze the relationship between diet abrasiveness and dental tissue loss.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a mechanical masticator to simulate 100,000 chewing cycles on real horse teeth.
- Tested pure attrition and four plant-based diets with varying abrasive content.
- Examined microwear features using stereomicroscopy and quantified absolute wear with computed tomography (CT) scanning.
Main Results:
- The chewing machine successfully replicated microscopic and gross wear features resembling natural specimens.
- Absolute tooth wear increased with diet abrasiveness (phytoliths and grit).
- Microwear patterns were not always consistent with expected outcomes, indicating potential discrepancies.
Conclusions:
- Replicated microwear patterns do not always directly correlate with actual tooth tissue loss or wear rate.
- Findings caution against direct translation of microwear data into palaeodiet or wear rate predictions.
- Experimental simulation provides valuable insights into dental wear mechanisms.
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