Jun Jia, DDS, PhD,(a) Yuanyuan Duan, DDS,(a) Shaofeng Zhang, DDS, PhD,(a) Jipeng Liu, BSc,(b) Lei Jin, DDS,(a) and Jianxue Zhou, BSc(a)
(a)Department of Orthodontics, College of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an
(b)Xi’an Institute of Applied Electronic Engineering, Xi’an, P. R. China
Purpose: To evaluate the stress distributions around the tilted molar abutment of a fixed partial denture (FPD) using finite element analysis.
Materials and Methods: Three-dimensional finite element models of tilted mandibular molar before and after the restoration of a 3-unit FPD as the abutment were constructed by the combination of the computed tomographic (CT) scanning technology and Ansys software. A vertical load was applied to the central fossa of the second molar. The stress distributions were calculated and compared between these models.
Results: The results showed that the introduction of a FPD decreased the stresses on the mesial area of the root and the adjacent area to the apex of the tilted molar and increased the stress surrounding the second premolar which is the other abutment of the FPD.
Conclusion: It is concluded that the placement of the FPD modified the stress distribution around the roots of the tilted molar abutment and favored the tilted molar. (Int Chin J Dent 2007; 7: 23-26.)
Key Words: fixed partial denture, three-dimensional finite element analysis, tilted abutment.