Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 8
Inspiration from the Wear of Human Teeth
Based on our investigations into friction and wear of human teeth and the artifi cial
dental implant-bone interface, in combination with a literature survey, we can make
some important suggestions for the challenging future tasks awaiting both engineering
and dental medicine.
8.1
Wear-Resistant Elements of Human Teeth
From an engineer point of view, human teeth and their peripheral tissues and envi-
ronment have constituted a natural antiwear system with unique microstructures and
textures after evolving over millions of years. For most people, human teeth seam-
lessly perform their mastication function although both the loading condition and
the environment are relatively complex in the mouth. There is no doubt that human
teeth have unique and complex system characteristics and then excellent tribologi-
cal properties, but most people know very little about this system.
To understand the antiwear properties of human teeth, we need to look into what
act as the wear-resistant elements of teeth. From the information we have presented
in this topic and from the literature, we can list fi ve factors that play a signifi cant
role in the wear resistance of teeth: an ingenious systematic structure; surface
engineering; a compact and orderly microstructure; a bioactive self-repair capacity;
and a unique lubrication system.
8.1.1
Ingenious Systemic Structure
Each tooth has two parts: the crown and the root. The dental crown is the entire
visible aspect of a tooth in the mouth, while the root is the invisible aspect. The root
of each tooth is fi rmly fi xed in alveolar bone by a periodontal ligament, which is a
