Cranial suture morphometry and mechanical response to loading: 2D vs. 3D assumptions and characterization.

Cranial sutures are complex soft tissue structures whose mechanics are often studied due to their link with bone growth in the skull. Researchers will often use a cross-sectional two-dimensional slice to define suture geometry when studying morphometry and/or mechanical response to loading. However, using a single cross section neglects the full suture complexity and may introduce significant errors when defining their form.

In situ measurement of dental resin-based composite volumetric shrinkage and temperature effects using in-fibre bragg grating methods.

Objectives: Resin-based composites (RBCs) are commonly used in dental restorations. It is known that RBCs undergo volumetric shrinkage during photo-polymerization leading to a detrimental increased stress state at the RBC-tooth interface and potentially early restoration failure. The objectives of this in vitro study were: (1) to ascertain whether shrinkage strain could be measured using in-fibre Bragg grating (FBG) technology, without confounding effects of temperature; and (2) to ascertain whether FBGs can detect alteration in shrinkage strain with introduction of a surface condition change at the RBC-cavity analog interface.