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CC BY 4.0 · Eur J Dent
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1809032
Original Article

Bovine Teeth as Substitutes for Human Teeth in Dental Research: Ultrastructural and Radiographic Analysis

Mahmoud Al Ankily 
1   Oral Biology Department, Faculty of Dentistry, The British University in Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
,
Safaa Baz 
2   Oral Pathology Department, Faculty of Dentistry, The British University in Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
,
Heba Mahmoud 
1   Oral Biology Department, Faculty of Dentistry, The British University in Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
,
Mahmoud M Bakr
3   General Dental Practice, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
,
Mohamed Shamel 
1   Oral Biology Department, Faculty of Dentistry, The British University in Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
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Abstract

Objectives

Obtaining an alternative for human teeth in research remains challenging. The current study aimed to determine the validity of utilizing bovine teeth as a substitute for human teeth.

Materials and Methods

Sound human maxillary premolars and bovine permanent lower central incisors were obtained. The human and bovine teeth were divided into groups (n = 35) for scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis alongside energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and optical radiographic density.

Statistical Analysis

The data was statistically analyzed using the one-way analysis of variance along with a paired sample t-test, comparing the means of each two groups. The results were expressed as means ± standard deviations, and statistical significance was determined at an alpha level of 0.05.

Results

SEM analysis of human and bovine samples in different hard tissues showed minor changes, mainly the human enamel had a smoother surface with distinct prism profiles, whereas the bovine dentin had larger and more widely separated dentinal tubules. EDX analysis revealed that the compositions of Ca and P, along with their Ca/P ratios in terms of enamel, dentin, and cementum, were comparable. For radiographic density, the findings revealed minor differences between human and bovine samples. No statistically significant differences among the studied groups were detected.

Conclusion

This study revealed minor variations in structure, chemical composition, and radiographic density between human and bovine hard tissues, but without statistical significance, supporting the utilization of bovine teeth as a substitute for that of humans in dental research.

Keywords

bovine - scanning electron microscope - SEM - EDX - radiographic - enamel - dentin - cementum

Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate

This study was approved by the Faculty of Dentistry, The British University in Egypt, with approval number FD BUE REC 24-002.


Informed consent was obtained from all participants for the collection and use of their extracted teeth for research purposes. The participants were fully informed about the nature of the study and provided written consent. No ethical approval was required for the use of bovine teeth, as they were sourced from a governmental slaughterhouse and not obtained through direct animal experimentation. This distinction has been made in accordance with ethical guidelines for animal research.


Availability of Data and Materials

Data is provided within the article or [Supplementary Material].


Supplementary Material



Publication History

Article published online:
20 May 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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