Constitutive models based on titanium and its alloys for studying deformation and stresses in dental prosthesis: A comprehensive review

Abstract

For optimized design and better functioning of dental implants, researchers to a great extent have used the finite element method (FEM) as a computational/numerical tool. It appears from the review that, despite a significant amount of success in understanding the deformation and stress fields generated in dental implants and its surrounding bone, there are still several inadequacies prevailing in the constitutive models used in dentistry. Therefore, the theoretical/computational basis of dental prosthesis’s deformation and stress analysis needs further improvement. To better understand the deformation and stresses produced in dental implants and their surrounding bone, the present work summarizes and discusses various constitutive models for titanium and its alloys as an implant material developed over the past few decades. The accomplishments and shortcomings of the current models are discussed. In addition, for completeness, the present study also summaries the effects of other factors in optimizing the dental implant. Critical findings indicate that longer dental implants effectively reduce stress gradients in the cortical peri-implant region. Threaded implants offer notable benefits, such as reduced bone stresses, enhanced osseointegration surface, and minimum slippage risk at the bone-implant junction. To further improve dental implant success rates, it is essential to consider the impact of dynamic loading and the viscoelastic behaviour of surrounding tissues. The use of porous implant structures shows promise in reducing maximum stress in cortical bone and enhancing load distribution, ultimately ameliorating the adverse effects of stress shielding in dental implant procedures. Further, some guidelines and research gaps have also been highlighted to develop more realistic time-dependent constitutive models of both implants and their surrounding bones.