Computational modeling of specific biological structures behavior

Abstract

Biomechanical experimental studies are often a subject of interest to many researchers. The results of such investigations give a full insight of complex structural behavior under loading, visualize potential material weaknesses and evaluate if mechanical factors play a substantial role in the pathogenesis of the lesions of the investigated biological structure. The use of FEM enables most of the researchers to abandon the experimental animal models and expand the investigation on computational models, analyzing stress and strain distribution as an indicator of structural biomechanical behavior. The aim of this paper was to present computational modeling of any (human or animal) intact tooth behavior under loading and evaluate the intact tooth stress and strain distribution pattern. For the investigation to be carried out a mathematical model of an intact tooth had to be created. The difference in stress concentration, when masticatory forces are acting lateraly comparing to the ones acting vertically, can be attributed to the basic mechanical principle of leverage which states that forces concentrate at or near the fulcrum. When subjected to lateral loading, tooth with its root acts as a simple lever that fulcrums near the cervical region. This paper offers the new approach in veterinary dental scientific research. Once when a mathematical model is made, it is possible by changing the parameters to investigate different clinical situations. With increasing popularity of veterinary dentistry, the FEM/computational analyses could became a useful tool in biomechanical veterinary dental research due to its noninvasiveness.

Biomehanička eksperimentalna istraživanja pružaju potpuni uvid u kompleksno ponašanje bioloških struktura pod opterećenjem, vizualizuju potencijalna slaba mesta u samom materijalu i analiziraju da li mehaničko opterećenje igra ulogu u nastajanju pojedinih patoloških lezija. Primena MKE omogućuje istraživačima da napuste istraživanja na eksperimentalnim životinjama, i da se fokusiraju na kompjuterske modele i analizu distribucije napona i deformacija koji su pokazatelji biomehaničkog ponašanja strukture. Cilj ovog rada je bio da se prikaže ponašanje kompjuterskog modela intaktnog zuba nakon opterećenja i evaluira distribucija napona i deformacija. Da bi se sprovelo ovo istraživanje bilo je potrebno kreirati digitalni model bilo kog zuba (ljudskog ili životinjskog). Razlike u distribuciji napona kod lateralnog opterećenja u odnosu na vertikalno mogu se pripisati jednostavnom mehaničkom principu poluge, koji kaže da se sile koncentrišu na mestu oslanjanja. Kada je zub izložen lateralnim silama, on se ponaša kao jednostavna poluga čiji je oslonac u cervikalnom delu. Ovaj rad unosi novi pristup u istraživanjima u veterinarskoj stomatologiji. Jednom izrađen model, omogućava da se menjanjem parametara ispituju i analiziraju različite kliničke situacije. Sa narastajućom popularnošću veterinarske stomatologije analize MKE mogu postati veoma koristan alat u biomehaničkim istraživanjima, posebno zbog svoje neinvazivnosti.