Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis of Different Connector Designs for All-Ceramic Implant-Supported Fixed Dental Prostheses

All-ceramic fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) tend to fracture at the connector regions due to high stress concentration at these areas influenced by their design. This study was performed as an adjunct to an existing clinical study to evaluate the influence of the different radii of curvature of gingi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCeramics Vol. 5; no. 1; pp. 34 - 43
Main Authors Alberto, Laura H. J., Kalluri, Lohitha, Esquivel-Upshaw, Josephine F., Duan, Yuanyuan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.03.2022
Subjects
all-ceramic FPD
Boolean
Ceramics
Computed tomography
connector design
Connectors
Dental implants
Evaluation
Finite element analysis
Finite element method
Fractures
gingival embrasure
Mathematical models
Prostheses
Radius of curvature
Scanners
Software
Stress concentration
Stress distribution
Three dimensional analysis
Three dimensional models
Zirconium dioxide
Belgium
United States > US
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Summary:All-ceramic fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) tend to fracture at the connector regions due to high stress concentration at these areas influenced by their design. This study was performed as an adjunct to an existing clinical study to evaluate the influence of the different radii of curvature of gingival embrasure on the stress distribution of a three-unit all-ceramic implanted supported FDP. Three three-dimensional (3D) models were created by scanning two titanium dental implants, their suitable zirconia abutments, and a patient-retrieved dental prosthesis using a micro-CT scanner. The radius of curvature of the gingival embrasure for the distal connector of the FDP was altered to measure 0.25 mm, 0.50 mm, and 0.75 mm. A finite element analysis (FEA) software (ABAQUS) was used to evaluate the impact of different connector designs on the distribution of stresses. Maximum Principal Stress data was collected from the individual components (veneer, framework, and abutments). The radius of curvature of gingival embrasure had a significant influence on the stress distribution at the assessed components. The tensile peak stresses at all structures were highest in the 0.25 mm model, while the 0.50 mm and 0.75 mm models presented similar values and more uniform stress distribution.
ISSN:2571-6131
2571-6131
DOI:10.3390/ceramics5010004