Load Distribution in Tooth and Implant-Abutment Identical Cases

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS We sought to compare the biomechanical behavior of dental implants with that of natural teeth under identical situations in accordance with Ante's law. MATERIAL and METHODS We used finite element analysis to compare identical cases. We designed different combinations [tooth-supported models (TSMx) and implant-supported models (ISMx)] [TSM0: full-arch dentition, TSM1: 5-7 tooth-supported fixed dental prosthesis (FDP); TSM2: 4-7 toothsupported FDP; TSM3: 3-7 tooth-supported FDP; ISM0: full-arch dental implant-supported artificial crowns for each tooth; ISM1: 5-7 dental implant-supported FDP; ISM2: 4-7 dental implant-supported FDP; ISM3: and 3-7 dental implant-supported FDP]. We used Cobalt-chromium supported ceramic as the prosthetic material. We used a foodstuff model to apply a 100 N of load for each tooth in the case of mastication. RESULTS In general, ISMs showed higher stress values than identical TSMs. The distribution of stress in the cortical bone was similar in identical models regardless of the abutment type. The maximum and minimum principal stress values in the cortical bone increased with the number of missing teeth. The trend in stress values was different between ISMs and TSMs. CONCLUSION Within the limitations of this study, stress distribution was similar in both abutment types. However, there was a difference in the magnitude and change in the magnitude of stress values of dental implants and tooth abutments. Our findings reveal that Ante's law may not be suitable as a guideline for dental implant treatment due to the difference in the trends of the maximum and minimum principal stress values.