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A FEM based endosteal implant simulation to determine the effect of peri-implant bone resorption on stress induced implant failure

Although dental implants exhibit only limited failure rates, their fracture is associated to major modifications of the
prosthetic treatment and complex surgery for the removal of the remaining embedded implant part. This investigation aims to assess the developing stress fields in the bone–implant interface during mastication and asses the failure modes of oral implants.
In order to achieve this, a FEM model of an implant was reverse engineered and virtually loaded at the top of the crown for a force spectrum ranging from 75–225 N in a vertical, horizontal and oblique occlusal direction. The calculated stress fields were compared with clinically retrieved fractured implants with identical geometrical characteristics and the fracture modes of both cases were correlated. The developing stress patterns facilitated the interpretation of the implant failure as the maximum stresses, indicated critical values in both, lingual and buccal sides of the implant–bone interface at a certain critical level of bone resorption, in which failure occurs.