Meeting Abstract
One of the main functions of teeth is to induce fracture, reducing food items to an ingestible size and increase the surface area of food to promote more efficient enzymatic digestion. A lifetime of regular use subjects teeth to a great deal of potential damage, via contact with foods, with themselves, and other external contaminants of the oral cavity. Enamel, often the main contact tissues of teeth is under almost constant threat of mechanical damage. This highly mineralized biological composite exhibits a structural hierarchy of organization, thus allowing enamel to be optimized for seemingly competing selective pressures. Its high mineral content bestows the material with high hardness and stiffness whilst the remnant proteins and structural arrangement provide the material with a surprising degree of toughness protecting against fracture. In addition to changes in material structure, different tooth morphologies also serve to control the damage dealt by everyday use. Patterns of tooth specializations associated with different diets have been well documented across taxa, mammalian and otherwise, and the functional significance of different tooth shapes remains a topic of interest. Here we present recent methodological advances and results that are allowing researchers a deeper understanding of the behavior of enamel and teeth. Tooth function is a complex set of interactions between tooth biomaterials, tooth-food interactions, and overall tooth structure. Such a viewpoint allows a greater understanding of the selection pressures that are shaping dental optimizations at many scales.
