Effect of Implant Diameter and Cortical Bone Thickness on Biomechanical Performance of Short Dental Implant-Supported Distal Cantilever: A Finite Element Study

Abstract

The present study aimed to assess the effect of implant diameter and cortical bone thickness on the biomechanical performance of short dental implant-supported distal cantilever placed in posterior atrophic maxilla by finite element method. There were 6 stimulating models in this study, which consisted of a bone block and short dental implant of 7 mm in length, 3 differences of diameter (5.0, 5.5, and 6.0 mm) and 2 variations of cortical bone thickness (thickness of 0.5 and 1.0 mm). All models were applied with 200 N of force with 30° inclination to lingual direction. Von Mises stress and strains were used to evaluate the biomechanical performance of the short dental implant and surrounding bone. Results showed that increasing of implant diameter led to decrease in stress level on neck of dental implants and strains in surrounding cortical bone. However, the implant diameter equal or smaller than 5.0 mm should not be used due to high stress level with could be a cause of implant failure. In addition, clinicians should be aware of placing implant with inadequate bone stock which lead to surrounding bone resorption.