Meeting Abstract

81.3  Friday, Jan. 7  Finite element analysis of crushing teeth CROFTS, S.B.*; SUMMERS, A.P.; University of Washington, Friday Harbor Labs; University of Washington, Friday Harbor Labs croftss@uw.edu

A number of lineages of fishes include durophagous members; fishes that have modified their pharyngeal or oral jaws to allow them to eat hard prey. Here we explore the effects of the forces generated by this mode of feeding on the teeth using finite element analysis. We constructed simplified, canonical models of teeth and loaded them with point and distributed loads to simulate prey of different compliance. Four series of tooth models were constructed that graded from one morphological extreme to another. These included degree of convexity/concavity of the occlusal surface, height of a small conical stress concentrator, side shape of a centrally located stress concentrator and the radius of curvature of a centrally located stress concentrator. We used Von Mises stress as an indicator of where on the tooth failure was most likely to occur. Our results demonstrated that a tooth with a central, straight sided, large radius stress concentrator resisted crushing forces more effectively than other shapes. Furthermore, the degree to which this concentrator protruded from the occlusal face of the tooth was also important in reducing stress concentration.