Biomechanical analyses of one-piece dental implants composed of titanium, zirconia, PEEK, CFR-PEEK, or GFR-PEEK: stresses, strains, and bone remodeling prediction by the finite element method

• Published in: Journal of biomedical materials research. Part B, Applied biomaterials Applied biomaterials, 2022, Vol.110 (1), p.79-88
• Main Authors: Fabris, Douglas, Moura, José P. A., Fredel, Márcio C., Souza, Júlio C. M., Silva, Filipe Samuel, Henriques, Bruno Alexandre Pacheco de Castro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Benzophenones; Biomechanical Phenomena; Biomechanics; Biomedical materials; Bone composition; Bone implants; Bone Remodeling; Carbon fiber reinforced plastics; Chemical composition; Composite materials; Dental Implants; Dental materials; Dental prosthetics; Dental restorative materials; Dental Stress Analysis; Finite Element Analysis; Finite element method; Finite elements analysis; Glass fiber reinforced plastics; Implant design; Materials research; Materials science; Polyether ether ketones; Polymers; Science & Technology; Strain; Stress, Mechanical; Stresses; Surgical implants; Tetragonal zirconia polycrystals; Titanium; Titanium - chemistry; Zirconia; Zirconium; Zirconium dioxide
• ISSN: 1552-4973; 1552-4981
• DOI: 10.1002/jbm.b.34890

First published: 26 June 2021 This work aimed to assess the biomechanics, using the finite element method (FEM), of traditional titanium Morse taper (MT) dental implants compared to one-piece implants composed of zirconia, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), carbon fiber-reinforced PEEK (CFR-PEEK), or glass fiber-reinforced PEEK (GFR-PEEK). MT and one-piece dental implants were modeled within a mandibular bone section and loaded on an oblique force using FEM. A MT implant system involving a Ti6Al4V abutment and a cp-Ti grade IV implant was compared to one-piece implants composed of cp-Ti grade IV, zirconia (3Y-TZP), PEEK, CFR-PEEK, or GFR-PEEK. Stress on bone and implants was computed and analyzed while bone remodeling prediction was evaluated considering equivalent strain. In comparison to one-piece implants, the traditional MT implant revealed higher stress peak (112 MPa). The maximum stresses on the one-piece implants reached similar to 80 MPa, regardless their chemical composition. MT implant induced lower bone stimulus, although excessive bone strain was recorded for PEEK implants. Balanced strain levels were noticed for reinforced PEEK implants of which CFR-PEEK one-piece implants showed proper biomechanical behavior. Balanced strain levels might induce bone remodeling at the peri-implant region while maintaining low risks of mechanical failures. However, the strength of the PEEK-based composite materials is still low for long-term clinical performance. This study was supported by FCT-Portugal (UID/EEA/04436/2013, NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000018 – HAMaBICo, POCI-01-0145- FEDER-031035_LaserMULTICER, SFRH/BPD/123769/2016), CNPq Brazil (CNPq/UNIVERSAL/421229/2018-7) and Erasmus Mundus Action 2 – ELARCH Project (552129-EM-1-2014-1-IT-ERASMUS MUNDUS-EMA 21). This project has been funded with support of the European Commission.