Finite-element modeling and analysis in nanomedicine and dentistry

This article aims to provide a brief background to the current applications of finite-element analysis (FEA) in nanomedicine and dentistry. FEA was introduced in orthopedic biomechanics in the 1970s in order to assess the stresses and deformation in human bones during functional loadings and in the design and analysis of implants. Since then, it has been applied with great frequency in orthopedics and dentistry in order to analyze issues such as implant design, bone remodeling and fracture healing, the mechanical properties of biomedical coatings on implants and the interactions at the bone-implant interface. More recently, FEA has been used in nanomedicine to study the mechanics of a single cell and to gain fundamental insights into how the particulate nature of blood influences nanoparticle delivery.