A Strain Gauge Study on Loading of an Implant in a Dry Skull Model.

<>The objective of this study was to study stress distribution in the supporting bone structure round a loaded implant in a dry skull model. The dry skull model is previously reported. Strain gauges were adhered to the buccal lingual and cervical aspects of the bone adjacent to an embedded implant in the maxillary right first molar region. Strain gauges were adhered to the buccal concavity, on the buccal bone adjacent to the cervical third of the embedded implant and to the bone immediately adjacent to the implant neck buccally. For axial loading of the implant in the maxillary right first molar region, strain was greater in the buccal concavity 0.55 MPa SD 0.002 than in the region of the cervical buccal contour 0 MPa SD O.0025. For non-axial loading Strain in the buccal concavity was 0.78 MPa SD 0.0023 as compared to the cervical buccal contour 0.52 MPa SD 0.03. For axial loading, strain in the cervical strain gauge buccal and immediately adjacent to the implant neck was 26 MPa as compared with 2.0 MPa in the buccal concavity. Results confirm the findings of previous photoelastic and FEA studies. This confirms observations of other studies that highest strain is seen at the implant neck. At an immediate level highest strain is at the implant neck while on an anatomic level of stress distribution through the maxillary osseous structures high strain concentrations also occur at the buccal concavity of the maxilla.