The experimental verification of the efficacy of finite element modeling to dental implant systems.

Abstract

In vitro experimental data of angular displacement vs. applied force were obtained on a fully osseointegrated pair of endosseous implants in a mandible of a macaca mulatta monkey. These data are compared with calculated displacement data for a given force from a three-dimensional finite element model reproducing the geometric structure of a portion of the mandible holding the implants. The displacements show agreement over a range of forces in the elastic region within 3%. The FE model yields a full description of the bending of the implant and the distribution of the stress in the bone surrounding the implants.