Comparison between experimental digital image processing and numerical methods for stress analysis in dental implants with different restorative materials

The aim of this study is to evaluate the stresses transferred to peri-implant areas from single implants restored with different restorative materials and subjected to a static vertical load with low eccentricity. A total of 12 crowns were made with four types of materials: carbon fiber-composite, metal-ceramic, metal-composite, and full-metal, all of them cemented over a titanium abutment. Three different ways of approaching the problem have been used independently to verify the robustness of the conclusions. The experimental results of stress distribution around the implant were obtained by two image processing techniques: Digital Photoelasticity and Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The tests have been modelled by 3D Finite Element Method (FEM). The FEM models have also been used to study the sensitivity of the results to slight changes in geometry or loads, so that the robustness of the experimental techniques can be analyzed. In addition, the realistic bone morphology of the mandible has also been modelled by FEM, including the cortical and trabecular bone property distinctions.