Microstructural properties of the mid-facial bones in relation to the distribution of occlusal loading

Although the concept of the occlusal load transfer through the facial skeleton along the buttresses has been extensively studied, there has been no study to link microarchitecture of the mid-facial bones to the occlusal load distribution. The aim of this study was to analyze micro-structural properties of the mid-facial bones in relation to occlusal stress. The study was performed by combining the three-dimensional finite element analysis (3D FEA) and micro-computed tomography analysis (micro-CT). Clenching was simulated on the computer model of the adult male human skull which was also used as a source of bone specimens. After the FEA was run, stress was measured at the specific sites in cortical shell and trabecular bone of the model along and between the buttresses. From the corresponding sites on the skull, twenty-five cortical and thirteen cancellous bone specimens were harvested. The specimens were classified into high stress or low stress group based on the stress levels measured via the FEA. Micro-architecture of each specimen was assessed by micro-CT. In the high stress group, cortical bone showed a tendency toward greater thickness and density, lower porosity, and greater pore separation. Stress-related differences in microstructure between the groups were more pronounced in trabecular bone, which showed significantly greater bone volume fraction (BV/TV) and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) in the high stress group. Our results suggest that the mid-facial bones in the adult dentate male skull exhibit regional variations in cortical and trabecular bone micro-architecture that could be a consequence of different occlusal stress.