FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF STRESS PATTERNS ON PERIODONTIUM OF SPLINTED ABUTMENTSFOR DISTAL EXTENSION REMOVABLE PARTIAL DENTURE

후방연장 국소의치에서 지대치의 splinting에 따른 치주조직의 응력 변화에 관한 유한요소법적 연구

Splint therapy, the immobilization of teeth, has been done for patient's masticatory comforts and an adjunctive aid in periodontal therapy. Mandibular premolars are frequently splinted in many distal extension removable partial denture cases. But splinting is an extensive restoration that may not be conservative of tooth structure and may prove to be quite costly to the patient. The two dimensional finite element analysis method was used to determine the magnitude and mode of distribution of the stresses of the periodontal ligament and supporting alveolar bone when abutments with different periodontal supports were splinted and distal-extension removable partial denture was subjected to different loading schemes. The results were as follows : 1. When abutments were splinted, stresses moved from apico-distal to apico-mesial of terminal abutment on a vertical force and from disto-alveolar crest to apex on a distally directed force. But stresses were generally diminished on a mesially directed force. 2. As vertical bone loss was proceeding, most of stresses were transmitted to residual ridge and the rest of stresses were concentrated on apex of distal abutment. But these apical stresses were minimized when abutments were splinted. 3. As mesially inclined bone loss was proceeding, it seemed to be dangerous that many stresses were concentrated on the distal alveolar crest, especially in the distally directed load case. Abutments splinting decreased the alveolar crestal stresses but not enough. 4. For all vertical stresses were effectively decreased on splinting, stresses were concentrated as highly on apico-mesial area of distal abutment in distally directed load cases as the distal inclination of bone level was severe. 5. The directions and magnitudes of abutment movements were decreased with teeth splinting.