Contact damage in model dental multilayers: An investigation of the influence of indenter size

This paper presents a combined experimental and computational study of the influence of indenter ball size on contact damage in model multilayered structures with equivalent elastic properties to bonded dentin/crown structures. Following a brief description of restored tooth structures, prior work on the development of model dental multilayered structures is reviewed. The effects of indentation ball size are investigated within a combined experimental and computational/analytical framework. The observed cracking patterns at the onset of crack nucleation are shown to be associated with principal stress contours computed using finite element analysis. The implication of the results are discussed for the design of dental multilayers that are more resistant to crack nucleation and propagation. (C) 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers.