Effect of geometric and numerical parameters on orthodontic aligner FEA outcomes

Despite widespread use of finite element analysis (FEA) in orthodontic aligner biomechanics, the effects of gap size, friction coefficient, and trimming line design remain unclear. This study developed a FEA model to investigate the effects of commonly simplified parameters on reaction forces and strain distributions, benchmarked agsinst in vitro experiments using an orthodontic simulator. Gap size had the greatest effect on predicted outcomes of the tested assumptiones compared to friction coefficient and trimming line. Study findings highlight the sensitivity of orthodontic aligner FEA biomechanical predictions to geometric and numerical variables, and provide insight to the development of future studies.