LAUSR

Purpose Even though the regeneration of periodontium tissue (PDT) around dental implants was of interest in recent years, this process was not investigated from a biomechanical point of view, to date. The purpose of this finite element study was to assess the impact of splinting technique on the initial stability and movement pattern of a tooth-shaped dental implant surrounded by periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) and was under occlusal forces. Methods A composite polymeric tooth-shaped dental implant, i.e., an artificial tooth model was constructed and connected to its adjacent teeth by two splints at the buccal and lingual sides. The displacement pattern of natural and artificial teeth under masticatory load, their center of rotation positions, and von Mises stresses for splints were calculated. Results Results of this study showed that splinting of a tooth-shaped dental implant can provide a tooth-like movement for the implant under masticatory loads, by up to 3.4 µm deviation in mesio-distal, 5.1 µm in bucco-lingual, and 9.5 µm in occluso-apical directions, compared with natural teeth. Also, it was shown that nickel-chrome splints have enough strength to provide the required initial stability for the artificial tooth under occlusal forces. Conclusion Based on this investigation, the splinting technique can provide enough stability and a tooth-like movement for a tooth-shaped dental implant under masticatory loads. It is speculated that by mimicking the shape and movement pattern of a natural tooth, the implant can transfer proper mechanical stimuli to the PDLSCs around its root, and consequently, would lead to proper regeneration of PDT.