Establishment, FEM analysis and experimental validation of tooth movement prediction model of orthodontic archwire T-loop

Jingang Jiang; Liang Yao; Yongde Zhang; Xuefeng Ma; Yafeng Guo; Yi Liu

doi:10.1186/s12903-022-02430-9

Establishment, FEM analysis and experimental validation of tooth movement prediction model of orthodontic archwire T-loop

BMC Oral Health. 2022 Sep 17;22(1):406. doi: 10.1186/s12903-022-02430-9.

Authors

Jingang Jiang^{1

2}, Liang Yao³, Yongde Zhang^{4

3}, Xuefeng Ma⁵, Yafeng Guo³, Yi Liu⁶

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Advanced Manufacturing and Intelligent Technology, Ministry of Education, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin, 150080, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China. jiangjingang@hrbust.edu.cn.
² Robotics & Its Engineering Research Center, Harbin University of Science and Technology, No. 52, Xuefu Road, Nangang Dist, Harbin, China. jiangjingang@hrbust.edu.cn.
³ Robotics & Its Engineering Research Center, Harbin University of Science and Technology, No. 52, Xuefu Road, Nangang Dist, Harbin, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Advanced Manufacturing and Intelligent Technology, Ministry of Education, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin, 150080, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China.
⁶ Peking University School of Stomatology, Beijing, 100081, China.

Abstract

Background: The T-loop has been used clinically to close gap between teeth. And it is a typical orthodontic archwire bending method. However, the design of the T-loop parameters for different patients is based on the clinical experience of the dentists. The variation in dentists' clinical experience is the main reason for inadequate orthodontic treatment, even high incidence of postoperative complications.

Methods: Firstly, the tooth movement prediction model is established based on the analysis of the T-loop structure and the waxy model dynamic resistance. As well as the reverse reconstruction of the complete maxillary 3D model based on the patient CBCT images, the oral biomechanical FEM analysis is completed. A maxillary waxy dental model is manufactured to realize the water-bath measurement experiment in vitro mimicking the oral bio-environment. Thus, the calculated, simulation and experimental data are obtained, as well as obtaining a cloud of total deformation from the simulation analysis.

Results: The growth trend of the 11 sets of simulation data is the same as that of the experimental data. And all of them show that the tooth displacement is positively correlated with the cross-sectional size of the archwire, and the clearance distance. As well as the higher Young's modulus of the archwire material, the greater the tooth displacement. And the effect of archwire parameters on tooth displacement derived from simulation and experimental data is consistent with the prediction model. The experimental and calculated data are also compared and analyzed, and the two kinds of data are basically consistent in terms of growth trends and fluctuations, with deviation rates ranging from 2.17 to 10.00%.

Conclusions: This study shows that the accuracy and reliability of the tooth movement prediction model can be verified through the comparative analysis and deviation calculation of the obtained calculated, simulation and experimental data, which can assist dentists to safely and efficiently perform orthodontic treatment on patients. And the FEM analysis can achieve predictability of orthodontic treatment results.

Keywords: Finite elements method (FEM) analysis; Orthodontic force measurement; T-loop; Tooth movement prediction model.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Orthodontic Wires*
Reproducibility of Results
Tooth Movement Techniques* / methods
Water

Substances

Water