Effect of connector design, stress absorbing element and occlusal materials on stress distribution and displacement in tooth-implant supported prosthesis – a finite element study

The effects of rigid/non-rigid connectors, stress absorbing element and various occlusal materials on mechanical behaviour of TISP were studied using 2D finite element analysis. The various veneering materials used were gold/platinum alloy with acrylic resin, porcelain and glass modified composite resin. Finite element models were created in DISPLAY III software and were subjected to a static occlusal load of 75N. The use of non-rigid connector increased the stress (17.7 N/mm2) on the implant neck when compared to rigid connector (10.25 N/mm2) and stress absorbing element (8.49N/mm2). Maximum displacement of the TISP (18.74 µm) was seen with a non-rigid connector. Stress caused by complete gold occlusal surface (10.25N/mm2) was greater than the stresses caused by porcelain/ resin modified composite veneered (9.17 N/mm2) and by acrylic veneered (9.84 N/mm2) occlusal surfaces. Acrylic veneer was found to increase the stresses and displacement in the TISP compared to other veneering materials.