The influence of various occlusal materials on stresses transferred to implant-supported prostheses and supporting bone: a three-dimensional finite-element study.

The aim of this numerical analysis was to evaluate the amount and localization of stress that occurs with various materials used in implant-crown design under functional forces. Computer-aided design techniques and a finite-element stress analysis method were used for evaluation. A 4.1 x 10-mm implant placed in the mandibular second premolar area was simulated and analyzed. Simulation and analysis were performed with the use of COSMOS/M software and Pro/Engineer 2000i on a Dual Pentium III 1-GHz computer. Crown designs were as follows: porcelain fused to noble metal crown, porcelain fused to base metal crown, In-Ceram porcelain crown, and IPS Empress 2 porcelain crown. A 300-N vertical force was applied to the centric relation stop points of the crowns. The results of this study indicated that different types of restorative materials play an important role in the amount and distribution of the stresses in the superstructure and the implant. The highest stress values were observed in the IPS Empress 2 porcelain crown design (600 MPa). Porcelain fused to base metal and In-Ceram framework designs transferred less stress to abutment. Type of restorative materials used in implant crown designs are significant factors in the amount and distribution of the stresses on superstructure and implant under functional forces. Porcelain fused to base metal (149 MPa) and In-Ceram (173 MPa) crown designs induced higher von Mises stress values within the framework than porcelain fused to noble metal (108 MPa) and IPS Empress 2 (119 MPa) porcelain crown designs.