Non-linear numerical analysis of a double-threaded titanium alloy dental implant by FEM

The aim of this work is to study the performance of a double-threaded variable pitch titanium alloy dental implant in a maxillary molar tooth after an implantology treatment by the finite elements method (FEM). The study employed three-dimensional finite elements modelling in order to simulate typical occlusal loads. The three-dimensional basic design of the dental implant, consisting of a dental implant and a piece of jaw, was developed with a three-dimensional parametric design program. One of the major areas of non-linear analysis is the solution of problems where separate bodies or structures may come in contact with each other. The non-linearity due to the contact between the dental implant and the jaw has been taken into account here. In order to study the influence of the variable pitch in the biomechanical behaviour of the dental implant, several configurations of this screw were solved. The nominal occlusal load was applied in all of them. A total of 27 specimens were checked. The stresses and displacements of each are shown in different tables and figures. The optimum configuration was chosen according to these results. From an osseointegration point of view, the optimum dental implant configuration presents a major advantage over the other specimens considered: the bone-implant contact surface is greater than in the other ones and the maximum von Mises stress in the jaw remains close to minimum values. From the biomechanical point of view, one of the specimens was chosen as the best dental implant screw of those checked in the present article. Such selection was made taking into account the stresses produced in its checking and the total bone-implant contact surface. Finally, the stresses of the different elements of the dental implant, the configuration of the optimum dental implant screw as well as conclusions of this research are expounded. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.