Chinese scientists are making progress in developing a bionic denture material for humanity based on the bamboo-eating teeth of giant pandas.

Liu Zengqian, professor with the Institute of Metal Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, led the research that found the tooth enamel of giant pandas has a special recovery function making their teeth resistant to wear from crunching bamboo branches.

The team is working to replicate the panda's tooth enamel for use as new bionic denture material and artificial durable ceramics with high conductivity.

Liu said panda tooth enamel comprised of prisms made of nano scale fibers of the mineral hydroxyapatite, which can make a variety of deformation mechanisms to mitigate the growth of small cracks.