Structural analysis of dental implants

Tooth implant in a human jawbone / FE-model
Tooth implant in a human jawbone 		A dental implant has the function of an artificial foundation. It substitutes the natural root of a tooth and serves as fixing medium for dentures.Two factors are of special importance for the development of these implants:

1 High loads

With a length between 8 and 14 mm and a diameter of 3 to 5 mm this implant must withstand the high and complex forces acting on it for decades. The maximum static force on a single tooth can amount up to 550 N.
Stress concentration in a hollow screw implant
Stress concentration in a hollow screw implant
2 Warranty for bone reparation

There are high demands on the surface and the form of the implant to ensure an optimum growth in the jawbone and thus to minimise the risk of implant loosening. Hollow cylinders and hollow screws are used apart from implants with cross borings. These details seem to be optimal for bone reparation, but the durability of the implant is endangered by the occurrence of enormous stress peaks.
The criteria mentioned are a great challenge for developers and manufacturers. They have to safeguard that highly loaded and formed components do not fail to work under real-life conditions.
Using the Finite Element (FE) method makes it possible to predict maximum stresses and strains on all kinds of implants. Applying numerical simulation of different load conditions on three-dimensional models of dental implants, ASD is able to show implant optimisation already during the model finding stage. These analyses do, of course, comply with regulations such as DIN EN 14801.
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