The effects of bone remodeling on biomechanical behavior in a patient with an implant-supported overdenture

This study aimed to clarify the effects of bone remodeling on biomechanical behavior in a patient with a mandibular implant-supported overdenture by comparing computed tomography-based finite element analyses (CT-FEA) with two time points of CT data. The present FEA was based on CT data collected from a 62-year-old female subject, who wore a mandibular implant overdenture supported by four dental implants with bar attachment. Two kinds of FE models were constructed from CT data taken at two time points: pre-implantation (Original-model) and 12 years post-implantation (Aged-model). FE models consisted of patient-specific model geometry and heterogeneous material properties. The deviation analysis was carried out to assess the changes in bone mass over a period of 12 years. The results show an averaging of intraosseous stress and strain energy density between the implant regions in the Aged-model. The results of the morphological assessments demonstrated that the bone mass and quality had significantly changed over 12 years. Area-specific bone resorption was also observed at the bone surrounding each implant. The combined findings indicate that the averaging of mechanical variables was due to chronological changes in bone morphology, suggesting adaptation to mechanical loads by peri-implant bone remodeling.