Effect of geometric dimensions and material models of the periodontal ligament in orthodontic tooth movement.

Abstract

The aim of the present work was set to explore the role of root diameter, root length, and thickness of periodontal ligament (PDL) and its material properties (linear and non-linear elastic material models) on the stress and strain distribution, tooth displacement and centre of resistance (CR) location. Both the bone and the tooth were considered as rigid bodies, and the PDL was modelled as a paraboloid with different geometric dimensions and material properties. To achieve this goal, a horizontal force of 1 N was applied in the CR location and the stress and strain distribution and tooth displacement were quantified. Locations of CR were estimated through iterative finite element procedure. It was predicted that the position of CR is in the range of 34%-39% of the root length, slightly higher than one-third of the root length reported in the literature. The geometrical dimensions of the PDL had no significant effect on the position of CR, especially in the non-linear material model of the PDL, while the initial displacement of the tooth was found to be highly dependent on the geometrical and mechanical properties of the PDL. The simplified PDL modelling approach with non-linear material behaviour can be suggested for the estimation of initial tooth movement for individual clinical applications without the use of advanced 3D scans.