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A method for obtaining a three-dimensional geometric model of dental implants for analysis via the finite element
Guilherme Carvalho Silva1, Tulimar Machado Pereira Cornacchia, Estevam Barbosa de Las Casas
1Department of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG 31270-901, Brazil. guilhermeccs@ufmg.br
Purpose:
The aim of the study was to present a methodology of development of a virtual 3-dimensional dental implant model for analyses via the finite element method.
Materials And Methods:
A set, consisting of a dental implant and abutment, was embedded in acrylic resin for subsequent metallographic grinding and polishing. After the evidentiation of the internal geometry of the implant, the specimen was treated in a sputter for observation using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM image was transported to computer-aided design software by which all details of the implant were measured. With the measures obtained, the geometry was reproduced with 3-dimensional modeling software. Finally, the model was imported into finite element method analysis software with which it was discretized, generating a mesh.
Results:
A model with the accurate geometry of the implant was developed. A mesh of 297,600 elements and 490,045 nodes was generated. An aleatory acceleration simulation was performed to test the mesh, and no errors were identified.
Conclusion:
The developed methodology generated a precise dental implant model, which can be applied in different finite element method simulations.
