Applying the Texture Analyser to the Dental Industry in Compression, Flexure and Extrusion

According to Statista, the global dental market is projected to grow to around 37 billion dollars by 2021, and current indicators show that the market will keep moving forward, primarily driven by the implant sector. Its success is due to progress in the fields of medical technologies and implant materials. Texture Analysis has an important role in the dental industry; this article contains some examples of dental research in recent years.

A Texture Analyser is a very useful tool for the research and development associated with dental products and has the capability to perform both imitative and fundamental measurements.

Dental product testing solutions from Stable Micro Systems include dental fixative adhesiveness, chewing gum hardness, stickiness and coating crispiness, toothpaste consistency and extrudability, and dental floss tensile strength, as well as many more.

Examples of how Dental Products can be Tested – Compression

Typical compression test on a Texture Analyser

Scientists from Zhejiang University of Technology have been researching the fabrication and evaluation of dental fillers using customised moulds via 3D printing technology. In view of the high incidence and long-term treatment of dental caries, personalised dental fillers with long therapeutic action have broad application prospects in the dental clinic. The objective of this study was to fabricate and evaluate novel dental fillers using state-of-the-art 3D printing technology. To mimic the support from peripheral tooth tissue, the compression behaviour of the optimal dental filler was determined with customised compression moulds designed according to the printed mould, using their TA.XTplus Texture Analyser. The study confirmed that 3D printing was successful in designing and fabricating personalised dental fillers with high mechanical strength and “on-demand” drug release characteristics. Read more

Mars develops a mechanical jaw device for their Texture Analyser

Meanwhile, Mars Inc. have been fabricating animal jaws. They have recently released a patent, entitled ‘Animal dentistry apparatus and methods’. Chewable products are often used to improve the oral hygiene of animals as the chewing action can help to remove plaque. It is useful to understand the mechanical properties of these products as they can affect their performance in cleaning teeth; existing mechanical measurement techniques involve their compression with cylindrical probes. This patent addresses the shortcomings of in-vivo measurements with existing test methods for chewable products. They used their TA.HDplus Texture Analyser to perform tests with a mechanical jaw assembly. Read more

The Standard Test Method BS EN ISO 20126 is designed to test all aspects of manual toothbrushes, including bristle stiffness of the tufted area. The stiffness of toothbrush heads is a large factor in the choice made by the consumer during purchase. This property can be measured using a compression test – when compressing to a set distance, a larger force indicates stiffer bristles.

Examples of how Dental Products can be Tested – Flexure

Scientists have been researching the mechanical properties of plain and reversed curve nickel-titanium archwires. In orthodontics, nickel-titanium wires are used for teeth alignment and levelling. The aims of this study were to investigate and compare the mechanical properties of wire samples, including unloading force, stiffness, springback and surface hardness, and they used their TA.XT

Typical Flexure test on a Texture Analyser

plus Texture Analyser to perform these measurements. The reversed curve NiTi archwire had more unloading force and stiffness than plain NiTi archwire. For the correction of deep curve of Spee in orthodontic treatment, clinicians must be aware of the vertical force needed during intrusion of lower incisors or the wires should be used in the later levelling and aligning stage. Read more

Examples of how Dental Products can be Tested – Extrusion

For products in tubes, the ability to squeeze the product out effectively is essential and is fundamental to its ease of removal from the packaging when required. If the substance is too dense, consumers will experience difficulty extracting it; if it is too fluid, the product could leak. In toothpaste manufacture, three characteristics of importance in consumer acceptance are absence of lumps or graininess, absence of air bubbles, and optimum consistency. All of these are greatly influenced by the manufacturing procedure and its control, as well as the selection of raw ingredients.

In terms of consistency, binders play a very important role. The purpose of the binder is to hold all of the ingredients of a paste together and to provide optimum consistency and texture. It is desirable that a toothpaste be easily squeezed out of the tube and break off cleanly when the desired amount has been extruded, but should not be so soft as to sink quickly into the brush.

The Sachet/Tube Extrusion Rig quantifies the force required to extrude the contents of toothpaste tubes and allows manufacturers to quantify the ease of removal and application of toothpaste as well as products such as ointments, creams and gels. The rig allows the positioning of the end of a sachet or tube vertically between two rollers, clamping the closed end with a grip at the top. The grip then pulls the sachet/tube upwards through the rollers, forcing the contents out. The higher the force recorded during this test, the more difficulty a consumer would experience in squeezing out the required amount.

This test was designed to provide product developers with a means to analyse changes in a product’s consistency throughout its shelf-life and adapt formulations accordingly, whilst also enabling manufacturers to assess the suitability of packaging material and its construction. Such a test at this stage of production could spell the difference between a successful and appealing product and one which will destroy the possibility of upgrading from sample sachet to long-term purchase of the high value larger volume personal care product. For manufacturers, failure at the last hurdle would bring disappointment and huge material losses.

Typical Sachet/Tube Extrusion test on a Texture Analyser

To read more, request our article 'Texture Analysis in the Dental Industry'

To find out more about Texture Analysis of pharmaceutical products, contact Stable Micro Systems today.

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For more information on how to measure texture, please visit the Texture Analysis Properties section on our website.

The TA.XTplus texture analyser is part of a family of texture analysis instruments and equipment from Stable Micro Systems. An extensive portfolio of specialist attachments is available to measure and analyse the textural properties of a huge range of food products. Our technical experts can also custom design instrument fixtures according to individual specifications.

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