Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for Influence of Variation in Dental Implant Dimensions (Length and Diameter) on Peri-implant Bone Stress/Strain Distribution: A Systematic Review.

Background & objective: Currently, there are many implants in clinical use, making it hard to choose the right one for the patient. The success rate of an implant depends on its diameter, length, and direction of insertion in bone. In implant dentistry, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulates intraoral conditions in vitro and analyzes the effects of implant material, diameter, size, and other components related to oral structure on the implant and peri-implant tissues. The objective of the present systematic review was to evaluate the influence of variation in Dental Implant dimensions on Peri-implant Bone Stress/strain distribution, where Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is used as a method of analysis.

Method: Research papers published in PubMed, EBSCO, Web of Science, MEDLINE, CINAHL database from January 2012 until December 2022 using the keywords, (finite element analysis) AND (dental implant) AND (length) AND (diameter). The modified CONSORT checklist was used to assess the quality of the included research.

Result: Total hits from the original search were 402 (PubMed:127, Web of Science: 135 and CINHAL:22, EBSCO: 96, ProQuest:22). After duplicates were removed and titles and abstracts were screened, 371 articles were (n =371) selected for review. Of these, 342 were excluded and removed after initial screening, and 33 entire texts met the initial eligibility as per inclusion criteria. Four articles were further excluded in the final eligibility process and a total of 31 in vitro study articles were included for qualitative synthesis.

Conclusion: The evidence from the most recent literature suggests that the use of FEA showed promising results in understanding the stress distribution surrounding the implant. It was discovered that the material of the dental implant and the prosthesis, the type of loading, the direction and magnitude of force (axial or non-axial), the quality and quantity of the bone that surrounds the implant, as well as other factors, all play a role in the maintenance of bone around dental implants.