Understanding Nano-Anatomy of Healthy and Carious Human Teeth: a Prerequisite for Nanodentistry

Abstract

The anatomy of human teeth reflects its usage. Spatially resolved X-ray scattering permits quantitative studies of the characteristic arrangement of the anisotropic calcium phosphate crystallites and the collagen fibers within the hard tissues of the crown. The present study summarizes the distinctive nanometer-sized anatomical features of the tooth hard tissues including their interface taking advantage of spatially resolved synchrotron radiation-based small-angle X-ray scattering. The comparison of slices from eight teeth indicates a long-range organization of tooth nanostructures.

Advances in Nanotechnology for Restorative Dentistry

“…For example components required for designing such biomaterials (biomolecules, cells, tissue engineering scaffolds and signal) involve the development of nanomaterials [18,19,20,21,22]. Dental hard tissues (enamel, dentin and cementum) are composed of nanoscale structural units [23] and their mechanical properties such as hardness and elastic modulus may vary from one point to the other [24,25].…”

Compound complex curves: The authentic geometry of esthetic dentistry

“…13,28,29 Patterning, caused by the nanoscale organization of individual hydroxyapatite crystallites and collagen molecules, is inextricably linked to macroscale form through cellular activity. 30 The migratory paths of ameloblasts follow mathematical rules as the cells migrate in cohorts along complex interweaving paths from the dentinoenamel junction to the tooth surface. 13,28,31 Simple mathematical rules can produce very complex patterns.…”

Scanning X-ray nano-diffraction on eukaryotic cells

“…Further, specific structures with characteristic length scales in the sample can be visualized by selecting a certain region of momentum transfer. Recently this method has been also applied to small angle scattering from biological samples, i.e., a mouse soleus muscle [17] or the dentinal collagen network in human teeth [16,140,141]. In contrast to these samples with well-defined and well-known real space structures, the structure of keratin bundles in our samples is probably not perfectly homogeneous and would therefore lead to scattering in different q-regions.…”