A novel dental implant abutment with micro-motion capability—Development and biomechanical evaluations

Objective

The aim of this study was to develop a novel dental implant abutment with a micro-motion mechanism that imitates the biomechanical behavior of the periodontal ligament, with the goal of increasing the long-term survival rate of dental implants.

Methods

Computer-aided design software was used to design a novel dental implant abutment with an internal resilient component with a micro-motion capability. The feasibility of the novel system was investigated via finite element analysis. Then, a prototype of the novel dental implant abutment was fabricated, and the mechanical behavior was evaluated.

Results

The results of the mechanical tests and finite element analysis confirmed that the novel dental implant abutment possessed the anticipated micro-motion capability. Furthermore, the nonlinear force–displacement behavior apparent in this micro-motion mechanism imitated the movement of a human tooth. The slope of the force–displacement curve of the novel abutment was approximately 38.5 N/mm before the 0.02-mm displacement and approximately 430 N/mm after the 0.03-mm displacement.

Significance

The novel dental implant abutment with a micro-motion mechanism actually imitated the biomechanical behavior of a natural tooth and provided resilient function, sealing, a non-separation mechanism, and ease-of-use.