Tooth displacement due to occlusal contacts: a three-dimensional finite element study

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Biomechanics
• Dental Mechanics

Background:

• Occlusal forces and their impact on tooth movement are complex.
• The Finite Element Method (FEM) provides a robust framework for analyzing these biomechanical interactions.
• Understanding occlusal contact patterns is crucial for predicting dental displacement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the biomechanical effects of varying occlusal contact patterns on tooth displacement.
• To utilize a three-dimensional Finite Element Method (FEM) model of the human dentition.
• To investigate how alterations in occlusal contacts influence dental positioning and mandibular biomechanics.

Main Methods:

• A 3D FEM model of the human maxilla and mandible was constructed from CT scan data.
• The model comprised 520,445 elements and 106,633 nodes, developed using CATIA, MSC/Patran, and MSC/Nastran software.
• Four distinct occlusal contact patterns were simulated to analyze their effects on tooth displacement.

Main Results:

• Simulations demonstrated that even minor alterations in occlusal contacts led to occlusal force imbalance and altered dental positioning.
• All tested occlusal patterns resulted in mesial displacement of posterior teeth.
• The most pronounced changes in tooth displacement were observed in the model with unstable anterior occlusal contacts (FEM 4).

Conclusions:

• Variations in occlusal contact distribution significantly impact dental biomechanics and tooth positioning.
• Mesial displacement of posterior teeth is a consistent outcome across different simulated occlusal patterns.
• These findings offer a potential biomechanical explanation for phenomena such as mandibular incisor crowding and maxillary incisor flaring due to subtle occlusal variations.