[Expert consensus on biomechanical research of dental implant].

Current biomechanical research of dental implants focuses on the mechanical damage and enhancement mechanism of the implant-abutment interface as well as how to obtain better mechanical strength and longer fatigue life of dental implants. The mechanical properties of implants can be comprehensively evaluated by strain gauge analysis, photo elastic stress analysis, digital image correlation, finite element analysis, implant bone bonding strength test, and measurement of mechanical properties. Finite element analysis is the most common method for evaluating stress distribution in dental implants, and static pressure and fatigue tests are commonly used in mechanical strength test. This article reviews biomechanical research methods and evaluation indices of dental implants. Results provide methodology guidelines in the field of biomechanics by introducing principles, ranges of application, advantages, and limitations, thereby benefitting researchers in selecting suitable methods. The influencing factors of the experimental results are presented and discussed to provide implant design ideas for researchers.

Osteocyte: the impresario in the electrical stimulation for bone fracture healing.

Delayed healing and nonunions of bone fracture are critical problems in orthopedic surgery. Electrical stimulation has been used as a therapeutic method for enhancing bone healing for a long time. Despite unanimous clinical success, the underlying mechanism concerning bone tissue in response to electrical stimulation remains poorly understood. In the meantime, emerging evidences suggest that osteocytes, with their unique location and morphologies, play an important role in regulating the behaviors of other bone cells, including osteoblasts, osteoclasts and their progenitor cells. In this paper, we hypothesize that osteocytes are the sensory cells for the electrical stimulation, and they orchestrate the whole process of new bone formation and remodeling in the electrotherapy for bone fracture. The postulated electrosensory transduction pathway might be a coupling effect of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which is regulated by the biochemical signals expressed from osteocytes after sensing the membrane potential changes. It is believed that better understanding of this mechanism would facilitate optimizing the electrotherapy for bone disorders and assist in solving these clinical problems.