Is a blunt sword pointless? Tooth wear impacts puncture performance in Tasmanian devil canines.
J Exp Biol
; 227(3)2024 02 01.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38099427
ABSTRACT
As teeth wear, their shapes change and functional features can be dulled or lost, presumably making them less effective for feeding. However, we do not know the magnitude and effect of this wear. Using Tasmanian devil canines as a case study, we investigated the impact of wear on puncture in pointed teeth. We measured aspects of shape impacted by wear (tip sharpness, height and volume) in teeth of varying wear followed by 3D printing of real and theoretical forms to carry out physical puncture tests. Tooth wear acts in two ways by blunting tooth tips, and decreasing height and volume, both of which impact performance. Sharper tips in unworn teeth decrease the force and energy required to puncture compared with blunter worn teeth, while taller unworn teeth provide the continuous energy necessary to propagate fracture relative to shorter worn teeth. These wear-modulated changes in shape necessitate more than twice the force to drive worn teeth into ductile food and decrease the likelihood of puncture success.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Diente
/
Desgaste de los Dientes
/
Marsupiales
Límite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Exp Biol
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
Pais de publicación:
Reino Unido