A comparison of photoelastic and finite element stress analysis in restored tooth structures.

Two methods for determining internal stresses in tooth structures were compared under a specific load condition. The numerical method of the finite element method has a definite number of advantages over the experimental photoelastic method. The numerical results obtained by the first method are in reasonable conformity with those obtained by the latter. In addition the sensitivity of the finite element method towards variation of a number of relevant parameters has been studied.