Modified bone density-dependent orthotropic material model of human mandibular bone

Abstract

The prediction accuracy of computational simulations of various biomechanical problems of human bones depends on proper modelling of the problem geometry and boundary conditions but it is also essentially dependent on proper description of the mechanical properties of the all constitutive elements. As the human mandibular bone is a very important load-carrying element in biomechanics, the main aim of this research was to develop an innovative, not yet described in literature, spatial and bone density-dependent orthotropic material model of the human mandibular bone for use in the computational simulations. We compared it with the most used constitutive material models in the computational simulations of the human mandibular bone behaviour with inserted dental implant. The results show that the von Mises equivalent stress distribution values in the bone density-dependent orthotropic model are higher in comparison with other models but the highest are on the top of the alveolar ridge and higher in the lingual than in the buccal part of the lower jaw.

Keywords: Bone density; Finite element analysis; Hounsfield unit; Mandibular bone; Mechanical properties; Orthotropic material.