An experimental approach to modeling the strength of canine teeth

The strength of canine teeth in several carnivores is found through direct fracture experiments. The average forces required to break the canines of adult animals are coyote 1170 N, red fox 533 N, bobcat 737 N and raccoon 512 N. Stresses created in teeth at the breaking load are predicted by fi nite-element analysis and beam theory. The ultimate tensile stress sustainable in these teeth is 338 MPa in adult animals. The large pulp cavity in the canines of young animals signifi cantly weakens the bases of their teeth (by about 25%), but as the animal ages the pulp cavity decreases and has little effect on overall tooth strength. The tooth material of young of the year is signifi cantly weaker than that from older animals (by about 35%). With the experimentally derived ultimate tensile stress, fi nite-element analysis can estimate the breaking load of canines for several carnivores. A signifi cant allometric relationship exists between log of body weight and log of strength of tooth (slope=0.81).