Estimation of physiologic stresses with a natural tooth considering fibrous PDL structure.

Finite element analysis is used to determine the physiological stress values in the natural tooth and the underlying bone. In addition to modeling the periodontal ligament (PDL) as a continuous structure as considered in previous studies, the PDL is modeled more accurately in a novel fashion as a fibrous structure. The results indicate that the type of PDL modeling has a significant effect on the nature and magnitude of alveolar stresses, and that the fibrous PDL modeling shows higher and more widely distributed lateral tensile stresses in the alveolar bone than those resulting from the continuous PDL modeling.