FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF A DEVICE FOR ALVEOLAR OSTEOGENIC DISTRACTION IN HUMAN MANDIBLE

Abstract

Distractor devices are implanted temporarily in the bony structure in order to regenerate the bone tissue required and then be removed from the distraction site at the end of the consolidation period of callus. In this research, an osteogenic alveolar distractor (OAD) to deal with jaw bone deficiency in the alveolar area is proposed and described in this study. It addresses the FEM analysis of the proposed model of an OAD under physiological loading after the implantation. A finite element model subjected to physiological load exerted by the voluntary protrusion of the tongue on the alveolar distractor was analyzed and developed. The applied biological loads were the forces generated by the involuntary movement of the tongue against the distal end of the assembly. Both of them act on the head of the distractor screw, in the same direction but in opposite directions. The distraction device has been simulated on the alveolar bone, taking into account the most critical conditions that may occur during the distraction osteogenesis. The alveolar distractor proposed has a geometry that allows, by using only two intra-cortical screws, the attachment of the base plate to the alveolar bone without sacrificing a large periosteum area of the periosteum, which is primarily responsible for blood supply and nutrient source to the bone segment being distracted. The resulting stresses were lower than those corresponding to the resistance threshold in the bone.