title: Mechanics of the tapered interference fit in dental implants.
abstract: In evaluation of the long-term success of a dental implant, the reliability and the stability of the implant-abutment interface plays a great role. Tapered interference fits provide a reliable connection method between the abutment and the implant. In this work, the mechanics of the tapered interference fits were analyzed using a closed-form formula and the finite element (FE) method. An analytical solution, which is used to predict the contact pressure in a straight interference, was modified to predict the contact pressure in the tapered implant-abutment interface. Elastic-plastic FE analysis was used to simulate the implant and abutment material behavior. The validity and the applicability of the analytical solution were investigated by comparisons with the FE model for a range of problem parameters. It was shown that the analytical solution could be used to determine the pull-out force and loosening-torque with 5-10% error. Detailed analysis of the stress distribution due to tapered interference fit, in a commercially available, abutment-implant system was carried out. This analysis shows that plastic deformation in the implant limits the increase in the pull-out force that would have been otherwise predicted by higher interference values.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northeastern University, 334 Snell Engineering Center, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Dinçer
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bozkaya
authors.forename: Sinan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Müftü
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000379:methods; D003198:Computer Simulation; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D000044:Dental Abutments; D015921:Dental Implants; D017268:Dental Prosthesis Retention / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D003799:Dental Stress Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D004548:Elasticity; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D017276:Friction; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D014070:Tooth / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants