Biomechanical Analysis of Different Simulations of Implant Surfaces by FEA

Objectives: The proposal of this study was to evaluate the biomechanical influence of different surface simplification of the design of dental implant in stress distribution on bone tissue around it.
Methods: Three models were simulated by Rhinoceros 4.0, SolidWorks 2010 and InVesalius software, varying the surface simplification the implant of external hexagon (3.75x10mm): (A) smooth, (B) without thread simplification and (C) with thread simplification. All model had an implant-supported screwed metal-ceramic crown. The applied loads were axial (200N) and oblique (100N). The obtained results by von Mises criteria on fixation screw and maximum principal stress (σmax) criteria on bone tissue were analyzed statistically by ANOVA test.
Results: The results showed stress of von Mises similar among models in both loads. The statistical analysis of fixation screw showed the model A presented smaller amount of stress von Mises (p<0.001), as well as the analysis of cortical bone under axial and oblique loading (p<0.001) by σmax criteria.

Conclusions: Within methodology limitation, the smooth surface simplified to implants simulation may not reproduce the clinical situations of stress transferred to the supporting bone. Therefore, this simplification method should be avoided when the focus of analyze is the bone stress distribution.