Effects of overloading in mastication on the mechanical behaviour of dental implants

Dental implants have become a significant aspect of tooth replacement in prosthodontic treatment. Despite of high success rates, complications and failures still occur. The long-term success of an implant depends on the stability of bone support for the implant. The relationship between occlusal overload and peri-implant bone loss remains a controversial topic in implant dentistry. A causal relationship between the incidence of marginal bone loss next to an implant and occlusal overload implies a treatment plan and occlusal scheme would benefit from a force management approach. The aim of this article is to compare the mechanical behaviour of a dental prosthesis under two loading types (dynamic and dynamic within overload), employing a three dimensional finite element analysis, in order to attempt to clarify causality of overload as related to implant failure and bone loss.