Investigation of the Thermal Diffusivity of Human Tooth Hard Tissue

Experiments of two kinds have been performed in which the heat diffusion effects in human tooth hard tissues have been investigated. The first one has been carried out on an incisor tooth as a whole with the use of a bath system. Experiments of the second kind have been done on slice specimens cut out of a tooth. A laser flash apparatus has been utilized. The time dependence of the temperature response has been measured using tiny thermocouples. The experimental data are then used to calculate the effective overall thermal diffusivity of the tooth structures as well as the thermal diffusivity of enamel and dentine alone. A discrepancy between the calculated results and literature data has been discussed.