The Effects of Mechanical Properties of Periodontal Ligament on Bone-PDL-Tooth construct under Impact Loading

It is widely accepted that periodontal ligament (PDL) plays a crucial role in transferring load from a tooth to the alveolar bone. Finite element (FE) studies can be used to find stress and strain distribution in alveolar bone, under physiological and static loading conditions. Nonetheless, the role of PDL is even more crucial in the case of impact loading due to its shock-absorbing behaviour, which has not been fully understood to date. This study investigated the effect of inclusion of PDL, as a layer of solid material with a range of elastic and hyper-elastic properties, in an FE model of a canine mandible under impact loading. The results of this work indicated that as Young’s modulus of PDL decreases, its shock-absorbing behaviour would be escalated. Since the inclusion of the PDL affects the maximum von Mises stress exerted to the alveolar bone under impact loading condition, it is important to consider PDL in FE models.

Keywords:

Periodontal ligament , Impact load , Finite element analysis , Shock absorption.