ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Based on variational principle and weighting
technology of three-dimensional finite
element method,
human teeth with a complex morphology can be modeled, which helps to understand the stress distribution of dental hard
tissue and
prosthesis during the dynamic repair process.
OBJECTIVE:
To comprehensively analyze the three-dimensional finite
element studies concerning
biomechanics of
dental prostheses, focusing on the effects of
metal crown,
porcelain thickness,
root canal preparation and fil ing on the
tooth stress.
METHODS:
A
computer-based search of
PubMed (1993-04/2012-09),
China Academic Journal Network
Publishing Database (2001-2008), and VIP (2001-2008) was performed by the first author to retrieve articles concerning the effects of
metal crown,
porcelain thickness,
root canal preparation and fil ing on the
tooth stress. The
keywords were“
porcelain-fused-to-
metal, finite
element method, stress
analysis,
root canal”in English and
Chinese. Articles with repetitive contents or
meta-analysis were ruled out. Then 40 articles were suitable for further
analysis.RESULTS AND
CONCLUSION:
Finite
element method has important significance to establish high-fidelity and high-accuracy models in
oral medicine, thereby providing effective biomechanical information for the
root canal treatment and post-
treatment repair. Scholars continue to explore the stress distribution of
dental prostheses during
chewing. This
review summarizes the stress changes of post and core
crowns, supporting reference for further
research. Three-dimensional finite
element method can be used to build nonlinear three-dimensional finite
element models with anisotropic biomechanical characteristics, and can gradual yimprove the transition from static
analysis to a dynamic
analysis, truly achieving accurate simulation of oral
biology and dental morphology as wel as
chewing function of the
teeth.