Dental biomechanics

The biomechanical analysis in dental area represents a relevant task in biomedical research. Universities, research centers, and industrial laboratories show a growing interest in investigating different aspects such as dental biomaterials performances, soft and hard tissue mechanics, dental implants, and orthodontics devices reliability, by means of experimental and numerical approaches. In this article, according to the necessity of limiting the arguments to be treated, the attention is addressed to the periodontal ligament (PDL), tooth and dental implant mechanics. These topics allow for a preliminary discussion about the response of the soft and hard tissues that characterize the mechanics in dental area and for a direct investigation about the functional behavior of main structural components during masticatory action. Particular attention is paid to the numerical approach to dental biomechanics, showing the offered potentialities and discussing the refined and reliable results. Data from experimental analysis are also reported as a basis for a reciprocal reliability evaluation. This article is not only aimed at offering an introduction to the investigation of mechanical problems in dental area but it also gives an appropriate description of specific relevant tasks and can represent the starting point for further developments.