title: The influence of functional forces on the biomechanics of implant-supported prostheses--a review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate published evidence related to the influence of functional forces on the biomechanics of implant-supported prostheses.
  
  
  METHODS
  The literature was searched for original research articles relating control of loads on dental implants, effects of early and late occlusal loads, the influence of bone quality, prosthesis type, prosthesis material, number of supporting implants, and engineering techniques employed for evaluating mechanical and biomechanical behavior of implants using MEDLINE and manual tracing of references cited in key papers otherwise not elicited.
  
  
  METHODS
  Current literature on implant biomechanics as main focus and pertinent to key aspects of the review.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The outcome of implant treatment is often maximized when implants are placed in dense bone, number of supporting implants are increased, implant placement configuration reduces the effects of bending moments, and when a fixed prosthesis is delivered to the patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Saime
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sahin
authors.forename: Murat C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cehreli
authors.forename: Emine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yalçin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001732:Bite Force; D019245:Compressive Strength; D000044:Dental Abutments; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000379:methods; D015921:Dental Implants; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003799:Dental Stress Analysis; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D018583:Pliability; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013718:Tensile Strength; D016474:Weight-Bearing
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants