Mechanical effects of distributed fibre orientation in the periodontal ligament of an idealised geometry

Abstract

In this study, we computationally assess the effects of the distributed fibre orientation in the periodontal ligament (PDL) on mechanical responses of the tooth-PDL complex. An idealised axial-symmetric geometry of a tooth-PDL complex was constructed. The fibre orientation in the PDL was modelled as a trigonometric function based on anatomical knowledge, and the PDL was modelled as a transversely isotropic hyperelastic material dependent on fibre orientations. Parametric studies of the fibre orientation on the mechanical responses of the tooth-PDL complex were conducted. Obtained results showed that the anatomically consistent fibre orientation functions as a supporting structure against not only vertical but also horizontal loads.

Keywords:

• Periodontal ligament
• collagen fibre orientation
• finite element method
• elastic body-rigid body interaction
• transversely isotropic hyperelastic material

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Jiro Miura for clinical inputs and Jin Tanizaki for his valuable contribution. The authors are grateful to the reviewers for their constructive comments, which were helpful to improve the paper. We thank Ashleigh Cooper, PhD, and Stephanie Knowlton, PhD, from Edanz Group (www.edanzediting.com/ac) for editing a draft of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

There are no potential conflicts of interest.