Enamel thickness of maxillary canines evaluated with microcomputed tomography scans

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Dental Anatomy
• Restorative Dentistry

Background:

• Enameloplasty of maxillary canines is crucial for aesthetic substitution in cases of congenitally missing lateral incisors.
• Previous studies lack precise data on enamel thickness across different canine surfaces and crown heights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To accurately measure and compare enamel thickness on various surfaces of maxillary canines.
• To provide detailed data for safe enameloplasty procedures.

Main Methods:

• Microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) scanning of 32 extracted maxillary canines.
• Custom MATLAB software used to compute enamel thickness at 0.1 mm intervals for mesial, distal, labial, fossa, cingulum, and incisal edge surfaces.
• Paired t-tests and Spearman rank correlation used for statistical analysis.

Main Results:

• Mean enamel thickness is significantly thinner at the gingival level compared to the incisal level across all analyzed surfaces.
• Mesial enamel coverage is thinner than distal enamel coverage from the gingival to the widest mesiodistal area.
• Cingulum enamel is notably thin, necessitating caution during reshaping. Incisal edge enamel thickness correlates negatively with wear stage.

Conclusions:

• Maxillary canine enamel thickness is not uniform, varying by tooth surface and incisogingival location.
• These findings are critical for guiding safe and effective enameloplasty procedures.