Strain Distribution around Dental Implants in Cortical/Cancellous Bone Models using DIC Method

For normal healthy teeth, the percussive energy generated by mastication is attenuated by the periodontal ligament at the healthy bone/natural tooth interface. However, when a natural tooth must be replaced by an implant because of damage or disease, the ligament is lost and the implant will transmit the percussive forces to the bone directly. Studies have evaluated the deformation distribution of the alveolar bone in the vicinity of implants using finite element analysis and photoelasticity. However, finite element analysis requires clinical verification or a determination of material properties, and photoelastic materials generally have material properties and structure quite different from those of actual bone. Therefore, this study examined the deformation distribution around dental implants in cortical/cancellous bone experimentally using sawbone cortical/cancellous bone models. Dental implants were placed in the bone models and the displacement distribution was measured using the digital image correlation method, and the strain distribution was visualized under a compressive load that simulated the occlusion force.