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

ABSTRACT: 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 represent

SUBMITTER: Herbst EC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8567004 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature