Biomechanical load analysis of cantilevered implant systems

Historically, dental implants have been placed in areas where quality bone exists. The maxillary sinus areas and mandibular canal proximities have been avoided. From these placements, various cantilevered prosthetic applications have emerged. This analysis uses static engineering principles to define the loads (i.e., forces) placed upon the implants. These principles make use of Newton's first and third laws of mechanics by summing the forces and moments to zero. These summations then generate mathematical equations and their algebraic solutions. Three implant systems are analyzed. The first is a two-implant system. The second is a three-implant cross-arch stabilized system usually found in mandibular replacements of lower full dentures. The third is a five-implant system which is identical to the three-implant cantilevered system but which uses implants in the first molar area, thereby negating the cantilevered load magnification of the three-implant design. These analyses demonstrate that, in a cantilevered application, the implant closest to the point of load application (usually the most posterior implant) takes the largest compressive load. Implants opposite the load application (generally the anterior implant) are in tension. These loads on the implants are normally magnified over the biting force and can easily reach 2 1/2 to five times the biting load.