Engineering Dental Implants

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Implant dentistry is traditionally viewed as a clinical subject. However, the integration of a foreign metallic structure into a living bone involves several engineering considerations. This paper aims at reviewing and discussing recent basic issues and developments pertaining to the engineering aspects of dental implant development.

Recent Findings

We consider the three components of the system, namely the implant itself, the bone, and their interaction. We start with the implant material and its geometrical and surface condition parameters. Next, we discuss the long-term mechanical survivability of the implant, namely its resistance to fatigue cracking, outlining the uncertainty on the applied loads, and surrounding atmosphere. Following a summary of the jawbone from a mechanical standpoint, we discuss the dental implant-bone interaction, as modeled analytically or numerically, with emphasis on the bone damage and evolution. The contribution of high resolution observations to enriched numerical simulations is discussed.

Summary

Progress in both experimental characterization techniques and numerical simulation methods brings engineering and dentistry closer, allowing for more focused clinical work that will ultimately lead to personalized implant dentistry.

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