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A Critical Survey of Biomineralization pp 17–27Cite as

Enamel is the Hardest Biomaterial Known

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Abstract

Enamel is the protective cover of the teeth of vertebrates. The mature enamel is the most durable material in the organism and withstands high forces and the wear of chewing and cutting for a full life span. In its mature state it is composed of hydroxyapatite in a rod-like microcrystalline mineral phase. During its formation ions and several proteins are secreted by a secretion apparatus of amelobasts, which are oriented in a cell layer by a basement membrane. The basement membrane and some of the proteins (amelogenin, ameloblastin, enamelin and others) including two proteases (matrix metalloproteinase MMP20, kallikrein-4 related peptidase-4) are essential for correct enamel formation.The enamel rods are formed by a vectorial secretion and exactly one rod is formed by an ameloblast. The proteins are largely removed by the proteases during maturation and the organic phase is replaced by mineral. Enamel rods are interwoven in a basket-like way giving rise to steel-like mechanical properties.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Biozentrum University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

    Jürgen Engel

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  1. Jürgen Engel
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Correspondence to Jürgen Engel .

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Engel, J. (2017). Enamel is the Hardest Biomaterial Known. In: A Critical Survey of Biomineralization. SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47711-4_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47711-4_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47710-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47711-4

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