Monitoring Natural Frequency for Osseointegration and Bone Remodeling Induced by Dental Implants

Dental implantation to a certain extent changes the biomechanical environment, thereby leading to the surrounding supporting bone to remodel. Computational remodeling has been well established in lone bone community and a range of mathematical formulae have been available with acceptable accuracy and effectiveness. However, there has been limited information and remodeling data available for dental scenarios, despite its predominate importance and popularity in clinic. An in-vivo frequency test technique was developed to determine the extent of osseointegration and remodeling passively. It could not help predict on-going healing and consequence of implantation. This paper develops a predictive model to relate osseointegration and bone remodeling to a progressive change in natural frequencies, thereby better utilizing the data acquired from experiments. The results allow us to establish a more realistic remodeling formula, thereby making a patient-specific prediction possible.