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Review
. 2021 Jan;27(1):42-51.
doi: 10.1111/odi.13381. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

Patient-specific finite element models of the human mandible: Lack of consensus on current set-ups

Bram Barteld Jan Merema  1 , Joep Kraeima  1 , Haye H Glas  1 , Fred K L Spijkervet  1 , Max J H Witjes  1
Affiliations
Review

Patient-specific finite element models of the human mandible: Lack of consensus on current set-ups

Bram Barteld Jan Merema et al. Oral Dis. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

The use of finite element analysis (FEA) has increased rapidly over the last decennia and has become a popular tool to design implants, osteosynthesis plates and prostheses. With increasing computer capacity and the availability of software applications, it has become easier to employ the FEA. However, there seems to be no consensus on the input variables that should be applied to representative FEA models of the human mandible. This review aims to find a consensus on how to define the representative input factors for a FEA model of the human mandible. A literature search carried out in the PubMed and Embase database resulted in 137 matches. Seven papers were included in this current study. Within the search results, only a few FEA models had been validated. The material properties and FEA approaches varied considerably, and the available validations are not strong enough for a general consensus. Further validations are required, preferably using the same measuring workflow to obtain insight into the broad array of mandibular variations. A lot of work is still required to establish validated FEA settings and to prevent assumptions when it comes to FEA applications.

Keywords: CAD-CAM; finite element analysis; in vitro validation; mandibular reconstruction; patient-specific modelling; prosthesis and implants.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
(a) Indication of the position of the red coloured slice, used in (b) to illustrate the approximation of the shape of this slice using hexahedal (b‐I) and tetrahedral (b‐II) meshes with the same dimensions. The number of nodes is highly influenced by this and this is reflected in the outcome of the FEA. (c) A 3D model of a mandible showing the CT pixels with material information on the cut planes. Approach c‐I represents material assignment per voxel, approach c‐II shows the assumption of two different materials (cortical and cancellous) and approach c‐III illustrates a solid uniform (cortical only) material assignment of the mandible. These settings affect the outcome of the FEA
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