Modeling tooth enamel in FEA comparisons of skulls: Comparing common simplifications with biologically realistic models

• Published in: iScience Vol. 24; no. 11; p. 103182
• Main Authors: Herbst, Eva C., Lautenschlager, Stephan, Bastiaans, Dylan, Miedema, Feiko, Scheyer, Torsten M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 19.11.2021; Elsevier
• Subjects: biomaterials; biomechanics; biophysics; paleontology; biomechanics; biomaterials; paleontology; biophysics
• ISSN: 2589-0042; 2589-0042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103182

Palaeontologists often use finite element analyses, in which forces propagate through objects with specific material properties, to investigate feeding biomechanics. Teeth are usually modeled with uniform properties (all bone or all enamel). In reality, most teeth are composed of pulp, dentine, and enamel. We tested how simplified teeth compare to more realistic models using mandible models of three reptiles. For each, we created models representing enamel thicknesses found in extant taxa, as well as simplified models (bone, dentine or enamel). Our results suggest that general comparisons of stress distribution among distantly related taxa do not require representation of dental tissues, as there was no noticeable effect on heatmap representations of stress. However, we find that representation of dental tissues impacts bite force estimates, although magnitude of these effects may differ depending on constraints. Thus, as others have shown, the detail necessary in a biomechanical model relates to the questions being examined. [Display omitted] •We modeled teeth with different properties to test FEA model simplifications•Changing material properties of teeth did not affect general stress plots•There are some local stress differences near the constrained teeth between models Paleontology; Biophysics; Biomechanics; Biomaterials