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Published on: April 8, 2020
The validation of a compression testing method for cancellous human jawbone by high-resolution finite element
Nele Stoppie1, Tim Van Cleynenbreugel, Martine Wevers
1Department of Prosthetic Dentistry/BIOMAT Research Group, School of Dentistry, Oral Pathology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. ignace.naert@med.kuleuven.be
Summary
A reliable compression testing method for cancellous jawbone involves using cylindrical specimens (5.7 mm diameter, 1.4 length:diameter ratio) with flat surfaces. Constrained compression with conditioning cycles followed by destructive testing yields accurate results.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Orthopedic Biomechanics
- Dental Materials
Background:
- Cancellous bone mechanical properties are crucial for dental implantology and reconstructive surgery.
- Establishing reliable testing methods for jawbone is essential for accurate material characterization.
- Finite element (FE) modeling offers a powerful tool for validating experimental mechanical tests.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine a reliable compression testing method for cancellous jawbone specimens.
- To validate the established method using high-resolution finite element (FE) modeling.
- To correlate experimental measurements with FE simulations based on microcomputerized tomography (microCT) data.
Main Methods:
- Human femoral bone samples were used to develop a compression protocol for jawbone cores.
- Microcomputerized tomography (microCT) was employed for high-resolution imaging of bone specimens.
- Constrained compression testing with conditioning cycles and destructive testing was performed, alongside FE model creation and simulation.
Main Results:
- The developed compression testing protocol showed high intraclass correlation coefficients (0.88) for jawbone samples.
- Constrained compression with conditioning cycles demonstrated strong agreement between measured (Emeas) and calculated (Ecalc) Young's modulus (0.96 for femoral samples).
- Optimal specimen dimensions were identified as 5.7 mm diameter and a 1.4 length:diameter ratio.
Conclusions:
- A reliable compression testing method for cancellous jawbone utilizes cylindrical specimens (5.7 mm diameter, 1.4 length:diameter ratio) with flat surfaces.
- Constrained compression with 10-15 conditioning cycles followed by destructive testing is recommended for accurate results.
- FE modeling based on microCT data validates the experimental findings, supporting its use in bone mechanics research.
