About Mechanics-Materials and Dentistry of dental implants

Dental implants are increasingly being placed for edentulous patients worldwide. While the clinical aspects of the implants are extensively investigated, engineering considerations of the implant as a functional structure subjected to ill-defined boundary conditions are less considered. A recent trend is to consider all ceramic implants as an alternative to the classical titanium-based implants. We present here the first study of their functionality for repeated loading (mastication), as assessed through random spectrum loading inspired by earthquake and aerospace engineering testing approaches.