title: Location of implants in the interforaminal region of the mandible and the consequences for the design of the superstructure.
abstract: The location and the number of implants to support an overdenture is of major importance for the superstructure design. Sometimes, jaw bone anatomy or posteriorly placed implants enforce the use of an angular bar to achieve a position above the alveolar ridge. Loads on such a bar may introduce a moment on the implants which can result in high bone stresses and eventually the loss of the implants. This study on stress distribution in the bone around the implants in an edentulous mandible was performed using a three-dimensional finite element model. One model with two implants placed just anteriorly of the mental foramen and connected with an anteriorly placed bar, following the curvature of the alveolar ridge, was compared with two other designs. First with a similar model but now without a bar and secondly with a model with four implants connected with straight bars. It is concluded that loading a bar, which is placed anteriorly of the interconnecting line between two implants, causes extremely large compressive and tensile stress concentrations in the bone around the implants. Therefore, in those cases, it is advised not to connect the implants or, in case a bar-clip attachment is preferred, to place additional implants in the frontal region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery, Prosthodontics and Special Dental Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Meijer
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Starmans
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Steen
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bosman
mesh_terms: D001732:Bite Force; D015921:Dental Implants; D017267:Dental Prosthesis Design; D003799:Dental Stress Analysis; D003781:Denture Retention / Q000295:instrumentation; D003828:Denture, Overlay; D006801:Humans; D007575:Jaw, Edentulous / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008334:Mandible / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010347:Patient Care Planning
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants