Dental Implant Structural Performance Study on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform

Dental implantology is a complex medical specialty which deals with permanent implantation of artificial teeth. In this case, medical and engineering sciences intersect, and many factors must be taken into consideration to increase the probability of a successful treatment.

Due to this fact, it is a topic in which cooperation between specialists from many fields is essential. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is a tool that can simplify the collaboration between design and simulation engineers.

This cloud-oriented solution seamlessly integrates CAD modeling and advanced simulation (so-called MODSIM concept), based on the market-leading software offered by SIMULIA – one of the key Dassault Systèmes brands. Structural analyses performed on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform utilize the Abaqus FEA technology.

Dental Implant Simulation in 3DEXPERIENCE

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform offers several simulation applications that allow product performance evaluation and improvement. The 3DEXPERIENCE simulation features include not only powerful solvers, but also high-performance visualization capable of handling even the largest models. Both On Premise and On Cloud solutions are available, with each one improving overall efficiency, enabling enterprise-wide and group-wide tools to increase profitability.

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform speeds up the development process by utilizing simulation applications to evaluate and enhance the product’s performance, reliability, and safety before investments in physical prototypes are made. Engineers and simulation experts can utilize the platform for intelligent cooperation and template-based simulation rollout.

The integrated Multiphysics-Multiscale technology supports simulations of structures and fluids, including complex assemblies linked to product data. Collaboration across global teams is facilitated - modelling, simulation, visualization and results analytics are fully integrated on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

3D Dental Implant Design with CATIA

Dental implants not only replace missing teeth in aesthetic aspects, they also restore a person’s ability to chew. The role of the natural tooth root is fulfilled by the implant fixed in the bone. The designed dental implant system under consideration consists of two parts: an abutment with a screw and a fixture (Fig. 1) and is made of medical titanium alloy Grade V (Ti-6Al-4V-ELI).

The geometry of the dental implant system was created using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform with the help of multiple applications which implement the features of the world-leading CAD software CATIA on the platform.

Fig. 1. Parts of the designed dental implant system – abutment (on the left) and fixture (on the right)

Fig. 2. Assembled parts of the dental implant system on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform

The structural simulation scenario consisted of two steps: tightening and loading. Tightening simulations are crucial for the mechanical behavior of implants and involve complex contact interactions. The contact surfaces have been identified between the:

• implant body and the threaded part of the abutment,
• implant body and the abutment collar.

Tightening was simulated by applying an axial force to the middle part of the abutment’s screw. To simulate its effects, both bolt load and bolt restraint (freezing the deformation caused by the bolt pretension load from the first step) were applied to a cross-section of the physical bolt modeled on the platform.

The second step was the actual loading of the implant (Fig. 3). Horizontal and vertical loads were applied to the top of the abutment using kinematic coupling constraint.

Fig. 3. Animation of the structural simulation scenario: tightening and loading of the dental implant system

High-Performance Visualization of Simulation Results in 3DEXPERIENCE

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform also includes an application that can be used to create high-performance visualizations of simulation results. Both time history plots and contour plots based on display groups can be created in the same way as in Abaqus (Fig. 4).

A crucial factor influencing the fatigue life of a dental implant system is a screw preload. The higher the value of the screw preload, the more resistant the implant is to loosening.

Based on a history plot created on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, a simulation engineer can analyze in detail what happens when the system is tightened, as well as when it is loaded. Moreover, it is possible to determine the reduction in the value of the axial force in the screw and, consequently, the decrease in the value of the loosening moment (Fig. 5).

Fig. 4. Von Mises stress distribution after the dental implant system is loaded

Fig. 5. Changes in axial force in the screw during both analysis steps: tightening (0-1s) and loading (1-2s)

The tightening moment applied during the implantation procedure is an essential factor influencing the dental implant’s fatigue life. Based on the performed structural simulation, an additional durability analysis case with a proper load cycle was used to evaluate the fatigue life of the dental implant system.

The guidelines on how to tighten the screw safely and effectively are crucial from the perspective of the final dental treatment outcome. The results obtained from the analysis allow one to evaluate the fatigue life of each part of the dental implant systems (Fig. 6). They can be easily and efficiently visualized to indicate the weakest components.

Fig. 6. Fatigue log life contour plot

In Our Experience…

Dental restorations involving implants are highly effective and commonly used in practice. However, various mechanical issues, such as loosening moment drop or fracture of the dental implant components, stimulate ongoing modernization and development of dental implants. Dental implantology involves collaboration between specialists from different areas.

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is an effective tool to create such products. It facilitates cooperation between design and simulation engineers. The life cycle design process of dental implant systems is supported with modern techniques such as computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) and computer-aided engineering (CAE). The mechanical behavior of the system is under consideration in FEA-based workflows.

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform offers simulation applications for evaluation and improvement of the product performance. It can be used to perform simulations of tightening and loading of dental implants, as well as to visualize the simulation results. This allows the identification of the factors influencing the implant's fatigue life. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform provides a fully integrated environment supporting end-to-end industry processes, including structural optimization.