Scientific instrumentation for determining structural characteristics of material samples and structures, such as structural integrity, structural stability, defects, cracks, fractures, etc.; scientific instrumentation for determining the structural characteristics of material samples and structures in vivo, such as natural teeth and implant supported prostheses, as well as on structures and materials in vitro; scientific instrumentation for predicting the suitability of a material prior to its use in constructing a structure; instrumentation for measuring mechanical energy dissipated by a material sample or structure; scientific instrumentation for providing a value of the damping capacity as well as mechanical response data that can be used to further evaluate the mechanical integrity of a sample or structure; scientific instrumentation for making measurements on structures and materials in vivo, such as natural teeth and implant supported prostheses, as well as on structures and materials in vitro; accompanying software for operating instrumentation.