Dental implant induced bone remodeling and associated algorithms

Numerous studies have shown that human bone has the ability to remodel itself to better adapt to its biomechanical environment by changing both its material properties and geometry. As a consequence of the rapid development and extensive applications of dental implants, the effect of bone remodeling on the success of a dental restorative surgery is becoming critical for implant design and pre-surgical assessment. This article provides an extensive review on the issues of mandibular and maxillary bone remodeling as a result of dental implantation. Following the success of remodeling-driven orthopedic design from the long bone community, substantial clinical/experimental data of implantation have been driving the development of corresponding remodeling laws and algorithms to various dental settings, of which it is believed to contain potential to significantly impact on futuristic dental implant design. In this paper, the published remodeling data is analyzed and different biomechanical remodeling stimuli are assessed. The established relationships between bone density and corresponding mechanical properties are outlined and a range of potential methods of predicting the mandible and maxilla remodeling are critically evaluated and compared. It is anticipated that this will provide a better understanding of implant-induced bone remodeling and help develop a new design framework for patient-specific dental implantation.