[Dissertations 25 years after date 49. A biomechanical analysis of bone around dental implants in an edentulous mandible].

Changes in the bone around permucosal endosseous implants can be caused by biomechanical factors. Computer models are used to calculate the location and magnitude of stresses in the bone. The finite element method is used for the construction and calculation of models. The ongoing development of software and hardware 25 years ago made it possible to construct more complex 3-dimensional models. The general aim of the dissertation was to develop a state-of-the-art computer model of an edentulous mandible with dental implants and then to calculate the influence of a number of parameters on the location and magnitude of stresses in the bone. Conspicuous results were that there is hardly any difference between 2 and 4 implants in the interforaminal region and that the length of implants has a negligible effect on the magnitude of stresses. Clinical studies have subsequently demonstrated that these results are in line with reality.