Numerical Analysis of Transient Convective Heat Transfer in a Dental Implant

Hot substance consumption can have adverse effects on the neighbouring bone tissue in proximity to a dental implant. Elevated temperatures at the interface between the bone and implant could potentially disrupt the local cellular processes crucial for osteointegration. The primary goal of this study was to analyse the temperature and heat flux distributions within the implant body, surrounding bone, and bone-implant interface when the implant system subjected to a thermal load of transient nature. Transient thermal finite element analysis was utilised to analyse a three-dimensional model of dental implant with three different lengths – 6, 10, and 13 mm – placed in a mandible section. In order to obtain realistic results, thermal load was applied through convection on the outer surface of the prosthesis, simulating exposure to a hot liquid with the temperature and convection heat transfer coefficient of 67°C and 0.005 W/mm2°C, respectively. The temperature of the other components in the model was maintained at a constant 37°C. The results showed that increasing the implant length generally led to lower temperature and heat flux levels in the implant body, bone, and bone-implant interface. The highest temperature and heat flux values were concentrated in the superior region, gradually decreasing toward the inferior region. Importantly, all maximum temperature values remained below the limits associated with cellular bone necrosis and remodelling, thereby reducing the risk of osteoporosis. It is noteworthy that, when considering transient thermal load, shorter implants pose a significantly higher risk of implant failure compared to longer ones.