Bone strain following application of a rigid bone plate: an in vitro study in human mandibles

This study evaluated the effect of a bone plate on mandibular bone strain patterns during static loading. A stainless steel bone plate was unilaterally attached to five human mandibles, which were then subjected to static loads of 60 kiloponds. Four strain gauges attached to the cortical bone were used to measure the strain patterns within the mandible both before and after the bone plate was attached. The results showed that statistically significant alterations in the strain patterns occurred following plating of the mandible. The mandible with the plate attached became more stiff, presumably due to the difference in modulus of elasticity between the plate and the bone. However, this increase in stiffness was relatively small when compared with both total strain under load and strain produced by tightening of the bone screws.