Prevalence and Distribution of Craze Line among Adults in Sullia Taluk, Dakshina Kannada District: A Cross-sectional Study

integrity of the enamel and often develop in teeth following acute or chronic trauma.It is also called a hairline crack or superficial crack.These are initial lesions present parallel to the prismatic arrangement of the enamel crystal.It can spread into dentin by extending longitudinally.It is translucent and may appear as a fine line which may be gray, yellow, or brown.It is seen mostly IntroductIonHuman enamel is the hardest and most mineralized tissue in the body, comprising about 96% mineral content by weight, with the remaining 4% consisting of organic material and bound water. 1,2ndentation studies have shown that enamel has a hardness of 3-5 GPa and an elastic modulus ranging from 70 to 100 GPa, both of which vary depending on the location.The highest values are found on the occlusal surface. 1,3Enamel's microstructure is made up of tightly packed nanocrystalline carbonated hydroxyapatite, arranged in prism-shaped rods approximately 4-8 m in diameter.Organic material occupies the spaces between these prisms. 1,3Cracks in enamel often result from stress planes created by occlusal forces during chewing, which can cause localized bond fractures in the enamel.These cracks follow the complex crystalline arrangement, guided by interprismatic boundaries that dissipate energy and halt crack progression at certain depths.For the cracks to grow further, they must find a path of lower resistance along the boundaries of adjacent prisms, allowing them to propagate with less energy expenditure. 4,5Craze lines are tiny cracks seen on the tooth surface involving enamel only.Enamel cracks, also known as infractions, are small "lines" that disrupt the 1,