Numerical Modeling of a New Type of Prosthetic Restoration for Non-Carious Cervical Lesions

The Stresses and Deformations in the Abfraction Lesions of the Lower Premolars Studied by the Finite Element Analyses: Case Report and Review of Literature

BACKGROUND

The purpose of the study was to investigate the behavior of hard dental structures of the teeth with abfraction lesions when experimental occlusal loads were applied.

METHODS

A 65-year-old patient came to the dentist because she had painful sensitivity in the temporomandibular joints and the lower right premolars. The patient was examined, and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) of the orofacial area was indicated. The data provided from the CBCT were processed with Mimics Innovation Suite 17 software to create the desired anatomical area in 3D format. Then, the structural calculation module was used in order to perform a finite element analysis of the lower right premolar teeth. A focused review of articles published between 2014 and 2023 from specialty literature regarding the FEA of premolars with abfraction lesions was also conducted.

RESULTS

The parcel area and the cervical third of the analyzed premolars proved to be the most vulnerable areas under the inclined direction of occlusal loads. The inclined application of experimental loads induced 3-4 times higher maximum shears, stresses, and deformations than the axial application of the same forces.

CONCLUSIONS

FEA can be used to identify structural deficiencies in teeth with abfractions, a fact that is particularly important during dental treatments to correct occlusal imbalances.

Endocrown Feasibility for Primary Molars: A Finite Element Study

OBJECTIVE

 To study the possibility of using pediatric endocrowns to restore the second primary molar using three-dimensional (3D) finite element analysis.

DESIGN

 A 3D finite element model was built for a pediatric mandibular molar, starting with laser scanning a naturally extracted tooth. The access cavity had an elliptic shape with 6 mm width, 4 mm height, and 2 mm depth with a wall taper angle of 5 degrees.Two materials (Zr and E-max) were tested for the endocrown and two cementing materials (glass ionomer and resin cement) with 20 to 40 μm thickness. Twelve case studies were reported within this research as the applied load of 330 N was tested with three angulations vertical, oblique at 45 degrees, and laterally.

RESULTS

 Twelve linear static stress analyses were performed. The resultant stresses and deformations' distribution patterns did not alter much, and values were within the threshold of physiological tolerance. Deformations were negligibly changed with changing endocrown and cement materials. In contrast, endocrown stresses indicated zirconia endocrown would have a long lifetime, while E-max one will have a relatively short lifetime.

CONCLUSIONS

 Analysis results indicated that bone was negligibly affected by changing endocrowns and cementing materials. Both tested endocrown materials can be used safely. Zirconia endocrowns may have a much longer lifetime than E-max.

Numerical Study of the Mechanical Behaviour of Wedge-Shaped Defect Filling Materials

This paper deals with direct restorations of teeth with non-carious cervical lesions (NCCL). NCCL defects are capable of gradual growth and are accompanied by the degradation of the surrounding tissue. Direct restorative treatment, in which the cavity is filled with a cementing agent, is considered to be an accessible and common treatment option. The study included simulations of the teeth without lesions, the teeth with V and U lesions and the tooth-restorative system. Parameterised numerical tooth models were constructed. Two cases with defect depths of 0.8 mm and ~1.7 mm and three variants with fillet radii of the defect end of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mm were considered. The effect of two biomaterials for restorations was studied, namely Herculite XRV (Kerr Corp, Orange, CA, USA) and Charisma (Heraeus Kulzer GmbH, Hanau, Germany). The models were deformed with a vertical load of 100 to 1000 N from the antagonist tooth. The tooth-restorative system was considered, taking into consideration the contact interaction in the interface areas with the tooth tissues. Within the limits of the research, the character of the distribution of the deformation characteristics and their dependence on the level of loading, the depth of the defect and the radius of the curvature of the "wedge" were established.