Mechanical behavior of tooth, periodontal membrane, and mandibular bone by the finite element method.

Simulation of the human tooth, periodontal membrane, and mandibular bone was attempted basing on the anatomical form and dimension, and the experimental data of each component were examined by the two-dimensional finite element method. Following problems were investigated: (1) Which of two factors, elastic modulus or Poisson's rate, in periodontal membrane played an important role for supporting the tooth, and (2) Characteristics of tooth and alveolar bone displacement, and stress distribution in periodontal membrane and mandibular bone were investigated under a definite condition. It is clarified that Poisson's ratio plays a much important role than the elastic modulus and this method is more suitable for simulating the model equivalent to human body and for examining the internal stress and it's displacement than the strain gauge and photoelastic method.