Stress analysis of endosseous implants using the Boundary Integral Equation (BIE) method

The Boundary Integral Equation (BIE) method for modelling mathematically an endosseous implant within its bony surroundings is described in this study. The results are compared to those calculated by Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and the following conclusions drawn: both FEA and BIE are able to provide stress analyses of the dental implant situation and give similar numerical values of stresses and strains at the implant-bone interfaces. The BIE method does not produce a pictorial representation of the calculated stresses in the form of stress contours, as this is not applicable to boundary investigations. It is easier to alter the outline of the implant with line elements than with solid elements; therefore slight alterations in the outline form of an implant are easy to investigate with regard to their resultant interfacial stress levels. The BIE method is simpler to use than FEA, but little software is commercially available. The aim of the study was to determine whether future developments in this field could be useful in the stress analysis of endosseous implants.