Measurement of thermophysical properties of human dentin: Effect of open porosity

In dentistry caries removal can be performed with rotatory instruments or high intensity laser. Both techniques can heat the tooth and harm the pulp. The literature review about the measurement of human dentin thermophysical properties revealed a great variation of the values obtained by several authors, and most of the studies are outdated. Most of these studies have not directly measured the thermal diffusivity of human dentin, and the reported values are calculated values based on measurements of conductivity, density and specific heat. Objective The aim of the present study was to measure human dentin thermal diffusivity, density, open porosity and specific heat, and then to calculate its thermal conductivity and analyze the influence of open porosity in these properties. Method The methods used were: flash laser method for measuring thermal diffusivity, method of penetration and immersion with xylol for density and open porosity and differential scanning calorimetry for measuring specific heat. Calculated results of the thermal conductivity are shown as well. Result Results of diffusivity, density, open porosity, specific heat and thermal conductivity of measurements performed on five samples are presented and compared with results of other authors. The open porosity of the samples varied between 1.11% and 3.08% of the sample volume, corresponding to densities ranging between 2090 and 2400 kg m−3, thermal diffusivity: 0.199 and 0.265 × 10−6 m2 s−1, specific heat: 872.5 and 1181.0 J kg−1 K−1, thermal conductivity: 0.363 and 0.666 W m−1 K−1. Conclusion It has been found that there exist a strong correlation between the open porosity of human dentin and its thermal conductivity and density. Both human dentin thermal conductivity and density decrease with the increasing of open porosity, with a confidence of at least 98% and 96.6%, respectively.