Force and moment distributions among osseointegrated dental implants

Distributions of force, bending moment and torque are determined by structural analysis for an osseointegrated dental implant system. The system is a dental prosthesis rigidly connected to bone by implants. Since the implants have the lowest flexural rigidity of the structural components, they are considered to be the only elastic components of the system. In the analysis, the number and position of the implants are variable and the magnitude, direction and location of the applied load are arbitrary. The distributions found by force and moment balances are in the form of simple algebraic equations, a form which is useful for clinicians in determining the number and location of implants so that forces and moments are shared equitably. One immediate result of the structural analysis is that the bending moment due to the vertical component of the applied load—a moment which has previously been neglected—can produce stresses in the implant which are an order of magnitude larger than the direct axial stresses.