Optimum Degree of Bone-Implant Contact in Bone Remodelling Induced by Dental Implant

Abstract

Dental implants are an effective, safe and predictable solution for patients suffering from tooth loss. An ideal level of bone-implant contact (osseointegration) is of direct impact on the success of an implant surgery. This leads to a question as whether higher degree of bone-implant contact would yield better surgical outcome. This study aims to determine an optimum degree of bone-implant contact using the newly developed bone remodelling algorithm through 2D finite element analysis. Four different degrees of bone-implant initial contact (25, 50, 75 and 100%) are considered and their influences on the resulting density distribution of jawbone are evaluated. Results indicate that, under 100N masticatory force, different initial bone-implant contacts lead to a similar and optimum degree of contact when an equilibrium state is reached. This result is consistent with clinical observations and findings. To account for normal to traumatic loading conditions, practical masticatory forces ranging from 100N to 400N are also considered, for initial contact of 50 and 75%, to evaluate the optimum degrees of bone-implant contact under different loading scenarios.