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Updated: Jan 18, 2026
Micro-dissection of Enamel Organ from Mandibular Incisor of Rats Exposed to Environmental Toxicants
Published on: March 29, 2018
Chemical, structural and mechanical characterization of bovine enamel
Santiago Arango-Santander1, Carolina Montoya2, Alejandro Pelaez-Vargas1
1Faculty of Dentistry, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia. Carrera 47 # 37 sur 18, Envigado, Colombia.
Objective:
The purpose of this investigation was to establish microstructure, microhardness, fracture toughness, chemical composition, and crack repair of bovine enamel and to compare these features with their human counterparts.
Design:
Bovine enamel fragments were prepared and optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to establish microstructure; Raman spectroscopy was used to estimate composition and microindentation using Vickers testing was performed to evaluate hardness.
Results:
A strong dependence between indentation load and microhardness values was observed, as was the case in human enamel. Similar microstructure and chemical composition between bovine and human enamel, 7.89% lower microhardness and 40% higher fracture toughness values for bovine enamel were found.
Conclusion:
From a structural and mechanical standpoint, bovine enamel is a suitable alternative to human enamel for in vitro testing of dental products.
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