Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare the stress distribution around the surrounding bone according to the splinted and non-splinted conditions on the finite element models of the two implant crowns with the different vertical bone level. The finite element model was designed with the parallel placement of the two fixtures ($4.0mm{\times}11.5mm$) with reverse buttress thread on the mandibular 1st and 2nd molars. As the bone quality, the inner cancellous bone and the outer 2 mm cortical bone were designed, and the cortical and cancellous bone were assumed to be perfectly bonded to the implant fixture. The splinted model(Model 1) had 2 mm contact surface and the non-splinted model(Model 2) had $8{\mu}m$ gap between two implant crowns. Two group (Splinted and non-splinted) was loaded with 200 N magnitude in the vertical and oblique directions on the loading point position on the central position of the crown, the 2 mm and 4 mm buccal offset point from the central position. Von Mises stress value was recorded and compared in the fixture-bone interface in the bucco-lingual and mesio-distal sections. The results were as follows; 1. In the vertical loading condition of central position, the stress was distributed on the cortical bone and the cancellous bone around the thread of the fixture in the splinted and non-splinted models. In the oblique loading condition, the stress was concentrated toward the cortical bone of the fixture neck, and the neck portion of 2nd molar in the non-splinted model was concentrated higher than that of 1st molar compared to the splinted model. 2. In the 2 mm buccal offset position of the vertical loading compared to the central vertical loading, stress pattern was shifted from apical third portion of the fixture to upper third portion of that. In the oblique loading condition, the stress was distributed over the fixture-bone interface. 3. In the 4 mm buccal offset position of the vertical loading, stress pattern was concentrated on the cortical bone around the buccal side of the fixture thread and shifted from apical third portion of the fixture to upper third portion of that in the splinted and non-splinted models. In the oblique loading, stresses pattern was distributed to the outer position of the neck portion of the fixture thread on the mesio-distal section in the splinted and non-splinted models. Above the results, it was concluded that the direction of loading condition was a key factor to effect the pattern and magnitude of stress over the surrounding bone of the fixture under the vertical and oblique loading conditions, although the type with or without proximal contact did not effect to the stress distribution.