Biomechanical aspect of feline dental resorptive lesions formation

Abstract

Feline dental resorptive lesions affect more than one third of all adult domestic cats and continue to be an enigma in the veterinary dental science although different theories about the pathogenesis of these lesions have been proposed. Recently, a hypothesis was introduced that local mechanical trauma could be an important factor in the initiation of feline dental resorptive lesions and that there is a correlation between the occurrence of resorptive lesions and occlusal trauma in cats. The aim of this study was to analyze stress distribution in feline tooth during occlusal loading in order to accept or reject the hypothesis that dental resorptive lesions in cats might be caused by occlusal trauma. A solid model of feline tooth had to be created in order to perform the investigation. The idea was to gain data for tooth displacement (deformation) and stress and strain distribution under loading generally for any feline tooth using the finite element method. The results of the study contribute to the theory that occlusal overload might be one of the causes in multifactorial resorptive lesions in cats. Succession of tensile and compressive stresses and tooth displacement during occlusal loading might be a contributive factor in the pathogenesis of feline resorptive lesions. However, further research is required to confirm this statement.

Dentalne resorptivne lezije kod mačaka su vrlo čest nalaz, i mogu se uočiti u više od jedne trećine domaćih mačaka. One su i dalje enigma u veterinarskoj stomatologiji iako je do sada postavljeno mnogo teorija o njihovom nastanku. Nedavno je predložena hipoteza da je lokalna mehanička trauma veoma značajan faktor u inicijaciji dentalnih resorptivnih lezija u mačaka i da postoji veza između nastajanja lezija i postojanja okluzalne traume. Cilj ove studije je da se analizira distribucija napona i deformacija unutar bilo kog zuba mačke tokom okluzalnog opterećenja, kako bi se potvrdila ili odbacila hipoteza da je okluzalna trauma mogući etiološki faktor u nastajanju dentalnih resorptivnih lezija u mačaka. Za sprovođenje ovog istraživanja bilo je potrebno krerirati matematički model bilo kog zuba mačke. Osnovna ideja je bila analizirati distribuciju napona i pomeranja tokom okluzalnog opterećenja pomoću metode konačnih elemenata. Rezultati ove studije daju doprinos teoriji da okluzalno preopterećenje može biti etiološki faktor nastajanja dentalnih resorptivnih lezija u mačaka. Naizmenično smenjivanje zateznog i kompresionog napona u strukturama zuba tokom mastikacije može imati uticaja u patogenezi dentalnih resorptivnih lezija u mačaka.