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Letter

Nature Materials 4, 229–232 (1 March 2005) | doi:10.1038/nmat1323

The dentin|[ndash]|enamel junction and the fracture of human teeth

V. Imbeni , J. J. Kruzic , G. W. Marshall , S. J. Marshall & R. O. Ritchie

The dentin–enamel junction (DEJ), which is the interfacial region between the dentin and outer enamel coating in teeth, is known for its unique biomechanical properties that provide a crack-arrest barrier for flaws formed in the brittle enamel1. In this work, we re-examine how cracks propagate in the proximity of the DEJ, and specifically quantify, using interfacial fracture mechanics, the fracture toughness of the DEJ region.