Modification of stresses in alveolar bone induced by a tilted molar

Stresses induced in the supporting bone by a tilted molar tooth under load have been investigated by both the photoelastic and the finite element model systems. The following conclusions were reached. 1. Altering the angle of the load applied to the unsupported molar from 0 (axial) to 30 degrees resulted in a fourfold increase in compressive stress in the supporting bone mesial to the tooth. 2. Increasing the load from 30 to 90 pounds while maintaining a 30 degree angle of application resulted in a linear increase in the shear stress on the supporting bone mesial to the tooth. 3. Following the placement of a fixed partial denture, the induced stress at a point on the mesial aspect of the molar tooth, subjected to a 60 pound load at 30 degrees to the long axis, was reduced from 241 to 43 p.s.i. 4. The introduction of a fixed partial denture resulted in a decrease in the compressive stress in the bone adjacent to the apex of the mesial root of the molar from 481 to 174 p.s.i. 5. A distributed 120 pound load applied over the length of the fixed partial denture compared against individual tooth loadings of 60 pounds revealed that placement of the fixed partial denture favored the tilted molar at the expense of the premolar.