Finite Element Analysis of Zirconia Ceramic Biomaterials Used in Medical Dental Implants

Abstract: Zirconia is an advanced ceramic material widely used in dental implants because of its good inert characteristics like minimum interaction and good aesthetic properties. The finite element method (FEM) is an effective approach for the analysis of dental implants and dental structures. In the present work, a three-dimensional (3D) model of a molar tooth was generated by CATIA V5 software, and an analysis was carried out by the commercial FEA (Finite Element Analysis) software Ansys 14.5 to evaluate the displacement, strain, stress, fatigue life and factor of safety in the proximal region of the zirconia molar tooth implant under static load conditions of 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 N. The results show that the displacement, strain and stresses, fatigue life and factor of safety were within the material admissible limits for zirconia. Hence, the study reveals that zirconia can be a candidate biomaterial suitable for dental implants as compared to metal implants.