European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS (FEA) WITH ITS METHODOLOGY AND USES IN ORTHODONTICS AND DENTOFACIAL ORTHOPAEDICS: AN OVERVIEW

Mehak Bansal, Dhiraj Garg* and Vinni Arora

ABSTRACT

Introduction: In attempt to improve and evaluate the mechanical effects of various orthodontics appliances and techniques, analysis of stress and strain of the same under various loading circumstances has become an integral part of research in recent era. As we all know, our skull consists of various complex structures with a very limited accessibility. Due to this, most biomechanical research of the maxillofacial and oro-dental environment has been performed in vitro. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a modern engineering resource for numerical stress analysis, with an advantage of being applicable to solids of irregular geometry that contain heterogeneous material properties. Objective: This article aims at reviewing and discussing the methodology of the finite element method application and its applicability in Orthodontics and dentofacial orthopaedics. Results: FEM is able to calculate the stress distribution at the interface between periodontal ligament and alveolar bone, and the shifting trend in various types of tooth movement when using different types of orthodontic devices. Therefore, it is needed to know specific software for this purpose. Conclusions: FEM is an important experimental method to answer questions about complex biomechanics of orthodontic and orthopaedic appliances, overcoming the disadvantages of other experimental approaches.

Keywords: Bioengineering, Finite element method, Orthodontics, Literature review.