Hydroxylapatite and Related Minerals in Bone and Dental Tissues: Structural, Spectroscopic and Mechanical Properties from a Computational Perspective.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of computational and in silico simulation studies without human data
PubMed 34068073 · doi:10.3390/biom11050728
What was done
The authors reviewed computational and quantum mechanical simulation studies examining hydroxylapatite and biological apatite models in vertebrate hard tissues (bone, enamel, dentin). The review evaluated multi-scale atomistic simulations characterizing the crystal-chemical, physical, spectroscopic, mechanical, and surface properties of bioapatite alone and in interaction with simplified collagen-like models.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative values or statistical comparisons. It reports qualitatively that atomistic in silico simulations serve as predictive and corroborative tools to model the physicochemical and mechanical behavior of bone and dental mineral phases and their interfaces with organic components.
Why it matters
Understanding the atomic-scale properties of bioapatite and collagen interfaces aids the rational design of synthetic biomaterials, including scaffolds, prosthetics, and dental fillers.
Limits
The review relies on in silico approximations and simplified collagen models that do not replicate the full macroscopic complexity, cellular remodeling, or fluid environments of living tissue. The abstract provides no quantitative data, search methodology, or count of included studies.
Cited by
- supports Tooth enamel is composed of mineral crystal rods, whereas dentin is primarily composed of collagen.