Adhesion of scaffolds with implants to the mandibular bone with a defect: A finite element analysis

Abstract

In most patients with complete or partially stretched edentations requiring a dental implant, there is insufficient alveolar bone for a proper morpho- functional prosthetic restoration. Therefore, in many cases a bone addition is required for the implant treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate ex-vivo, with numerical simulations, a large mandibular bone defect that is restored by using a three-dimensional (3D) printed ceramic scaffold. In order to obtain a proper morphological and functional prosthetic restoration, a thick mandibular bone is utilized for the implant treatment. The polymeric scaffold is attached to the mandibular bone with one, two, or three implants. By scanning the mandible with MicroScribe 3G and then employing a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) with Pro/Engineer and ANSYS 15, the study performs a numerical simulation and thus assesses the effects of the force applied to the scaffold.