Journal of the Chinese Institute of Engineers

ISSN: 0253-3839 (Print) 2158-7299 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tcie20

Mechanics analysis for implant‐soft tissue

retained overdenture

Chwei‐Goong Tseng & Yuan‐Show Jiang

To cite this article: Chwei‐Goong Tseng & Yuan‐Show Jiang (2004) Mechanics analysis for
implant‐soft tissue retained overdenture, Journal of the Chinese Institute of Engineers, 27:3,
405-415, DOI: 10.1080/02533839.2004.9670887

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/02533839.2004.9670887

Published online: 04 Mar 2011.

Submit your article to this journal

Article views: 20

View related articles

Citing articles: 1 View citing articles

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=tcie20
Journal of the Chinese Institute of Engineers, Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 405-415 (2004) 405

MECHANICS ANALYSIS FOR IMPLANT-SOFT TISSUE

RETAINED OVERDENTURE

Chwei-Goong Tseng* and Yuan-Show Jiang

ABSTRACT
This paper primarily compares retention among three types of stud attachments
of dentures and analyzes the stress associated with polarized photoelasticity to eluci-
date the stress distribution of various implants near the ambient surface of an implant
under different conditions of loading on the prosthetics of a tooth. The experimental
results yield many significant data. Using the two-force principle to measure the
retention of attachments yields two important areas of results. Under dry conditions,
the O-ring attachment has the largest retention force. While under wet conditions, the
Zest attachment has the largest retention force.
The photoelastic method is applied to analyze the stress distribution on the arch
mandible. When the implants are loaded, the magnetic attachment will generate the
largest stresses on the implant. The stresses associated with the Zest attachment are
the smallest and can be neglected. Concerning the materials of the experimental arch
model, PL-2 photoelastic birefringent material is used to make the experimental arch
model, which is similar to the true arch mandible. PSM-1 photoelastic birefringent
material is used to make a semicircular model, which is easier to manufacture and is
also used to simulate the human mandible. The experimental results indicate that the
stresses in the PL-2 arch model are concentrated on the bottom of the implant, and
those in the PSM-1 are on the circumference of the implant approximately one-third
of the height from the bottom. The stress on the PL-2 arch model clearly exceeds that
on the PSM-1 arch model. The PL-2 arch model more closely captures the practical
clinical situation because its implant is imbedded in the alveolar bone with no clearance.
Therefore, the PL-2 arch model is strongly recommended for future study.

Key Words: i m p l a n t - s o f t t i s s u e o v e r d e n t u r e , i m p l a n t , a t t a c h m e n t , s t r e s s ,
photoelasticity, retention, arch mandible.

I. INTRODUCTION material science have enabled dentists to use implant

People may lose teeth due to cavities, gingivitis
or accidents. In the treatment of a sick tooth, the
enamel of a healthy tooth near the sick tooth must be
ground down and a denture be implanted into the
mandible of the sick tooth. However, this method
cannot fully restore the function of the original tooth.
During recent years, advancements in medicine and
*Corresponding author. (Tel: 886-2-27376486; Fax: 886-2-
27376460; Email: cgtseng@mail.ntust.edu.tw)
C. G. Tseng and Y. S. Jiang are with the Department of Me-
chanical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and
Technology, Taipei, Taiwan 106, R.O.C.
technology to restore sick teeth (Lee, 1989). Artifi-
cial dental implants can reduce the disadvantage of
traditional treatments without injuring neighbor
healthy teeth. Treatment by use of an artificial den-
tal implant involves inserting the root into the snag
(missing tooth) zone. In the first step, a sterile tita-
nium implant is inserted into the snag zone of the al-
veolar bone. In the second step, when the implant
has cleaved to the alveolar bone (Huang, 2000), three
types of attachments are used to complete the assem-
bly of the denture. This artificial dental implant tech-
nique has recently become the most popular method
for curing snag.
In Taiwan, over 8.0% of the population is now
406 Journal of the Chinese Institute of Engineers, Vol. 27, No. 3 (2004)
Overdenture
Athachment
Soft tissue
Implant
Arch model
Fig. 1 The overdenture
over 65 years old (Department of Health of Execu-
tive Yuan, 2000). The teeth of these people may be-
come loose or may atrophy. Research on the stress
distribution on the implant in the mandible is required
to solve this problem.
This paper covers two topics. The first topic is
the magnitude of retention among three types of
attachments. The second topic is analysis of the stress
distribution effects, photoelastic effects, among the
three types of attachments near the implant, on the
prosthetics of the tooth under various loading
conditions.
Zuest (1982) showed that the attachment of a
denture would separate from its position, if the at-
tachment of the denture was lost. It means that the
denture saddle does not fit properly. This phenom-
enon makes the denture unstable and causes it to
rotate, causing pain or inflammation in the teeth.
Research shows that the decrease in retention is
caused mainly by the abrasion of the attachment.
Stewart (1983) examined the retention and abrasion
of a precise attachment. He found that the abrasion
of an attachment increases the bad potential forces
and delivers them to the base of the tooth, reducing
the life of the precise attachment. Burns et al. (1995)
sought a predictive relationship between retention and
stability. These studies showed that retention is a
functional characteristic of attachments. However,
the method for measuring retention used by these
studies was not accurate. Therefore, this paper con-
siders three types of commercial attachments, mea-
sures and compares their retention to overcome the
above defects.
The optical measurement of mechanical stress
involves technology developed over many years
(Voloshin and Burger, 1983). Photoelasticity is pre-
sented in polymeric photoelastically birefringent
materials that are transparent and elastic. A
photoelastic birefringent model is manufactured, of
the same size as the experimental element and can be
inserted into a photoelastic system. When the model
is placed in a polarized light field and loaded, it pro-
duces interference fringes. The distribution of
(a) (b) (c)
Fig. 2 Three types of attachment (a) O-ring attachment; (b) mag-
netic attachment; (c) Zest attachment
interference fringes can be used to compare and ana-
lyze the stresses and strain precisely. Therefore the
stress distribution of the model when loaded can be
precisely obtained. In 1935, Zake first introduced
photoelas-ticity to research on stress on a dental ap-
pliance (Glickman et al., 1970). James and Angelo
(1974) used photoelasticity to analyze the stress dis-
tribution on a loaded mandible. Kemper used photo-
elasticity to analyze the mechanical behavior of a
DIAKOR (Kemper et al., 1992) implant. Ziada used
photoelas-ticity to analyze the stress distribution of a
partial denture with a tooth bridge design (Ziada et
al., 1995).
Nishimura et al. (1999) used photoelasticity to
compare the stresses of rigid and non-rigid implants,
when the implant is inserted into the natural tooth.
Tseng et al. (2000) used photoelasticity to analyze
stresses of an O-ring and a magnetic attachment in
an implant-soft tissue retained overdenture. This
paper uses photoelasticity and stressed photoelastic
models in the field of a circularly polarized light to
elucidate the distribution of stresses in three types of
attachments near the implant.
One overdenture (Tseng et al., 2000) is com-
prised of three components, as shown in Fig. 1. In
the figure, the upper component is called the denture
or the suprastructure, and the part inserted into the
mandible or the arch model is called the implant
fixture. Between the denture and the implant is the
attachment. This paper will use three types of at-
tachments to attach the denture to the implant. Their
characteristics are as follows.
1. O-ring Attachment
The O-ring attachment has two parts, as shown
in the Fig. 2(a), the convex metal ball (male part)
and the concave plastic ring (female part) (Eiichi, et
al., 1980). The male part is inserted into the female
part to perform the function of retention, enabling uni-
versal free rotation. Furthermore, it provides the
 C. G. Tseng and Y. S. Jiang: Mechanics Analysis for Implant-Soft Tissue Retained Overdenture
Rentention
Vertical loading
Tensile
Time
Fig. 3 The relationship between the loading and duration of ex-
tension (O-ring attachment)
advantages of easy operation, maintenance and repair.
Accordingly, in clinical practice, the O-ring attach-
ment is the most popular and preferred.
Kenny and Wrichurd (1998) analyzed the me-
chanics of photoelastic stress in dentures and implants
which were attached by bartype attachment and an
O-ring attachment respectively. Their experimental
results showed that the O-ring attachment was the best
choice. The commercial standard attachment called
the Branemark system was used in the experiment, in
which the metal ball’s diameter is 3.5 mm, and the
height is 4 mm.
2. Magnetic Attachment
Magnetic attraction has been used to support the
retention of dentures. Behrman (Sasaki, et al., 1984)
presented the magnetic attachment in 1952. Behrman
embedded magnetic Tefloncoated Co-Pt (cobalt-
platinum) attachments into the interior of the man-
dible and denture about 5-10 mm deep by hand, and
such that they attracted each other, ensuring the re-
tention of the denture. However, in 1964 and 1967,
Behrman and Winklev used an Alnico bar magnet,
which has been extensively researched (Barrie, 1981).
The volume of the Alnico bar magnet is too large and
its magnetic attraction is too weak for it to be con-
sidered optimally effective. In 1969, the CO5Sm was
discovered which had the advantages of double
strength magnet and smaller volume, and has been
used to serve as an attachment widely. The magnetic
attachment provides the advantages of easy operation,
maintenance and repair. Every magnetic attachment
consists of a magnet and a Keeper, as shown in Fig.
2(b). The magnet is a hard permanent magnet and
the Keeper an impermanent magnet made of soft
material. They are attached to the root and the
implant, respectively.
3. Zest Attachment
Figure 2(c) shows another ring attachment called
the Zest attachment (Robert, 1997). In 1972, Zest
Anchor designed the ZAAG (Zest Anchor Advanced
Generation), which has two parts. One is the stud-
type part made of plastic (male portion) and inserted
407
Rentention
Vertical loading
Tensile
Time
Fig. 4 The relationship between the loading and duration of ex-
tension (magnetic attachment)
into the denture such that only the head of the stud is
visible. The other part is the concave metal part
(female porion), made of stainless steel, whose sur-
face is coated with a compound of titanium to increase
its hardness and decrease its abrasion (James, 1998a).
The fitting of the Zest attachment involves inserting
the male portion into the female portion, allowing
universal free rotation (James, 1998b), and allowing
easy operation, maintenance and repair (Merill and
Mehsor, 1990). So, in clinical practice, the Zest at-
tachment is very popular.
II. MEASURING OF RETENTION
Retention is defined as the maximum force that
can connect a denture and a mandible. If the reten-
tion force is insufficient or in the incorrect direction,
the denture will be easily loosened when the patient
opens his mouth or masticates.
However, if the retention is too strong, the den-
ture cannot be easily removed, and will excessively
concentrate in the abutment of the denture. In this
study, the tensile testing method is used to measure
and compare the retention of different types of
attachments.
1. Measuring Retention
The experiment on retention can be divided into
two parts. The first part directly extends dry attach-
ments by adding vertical loading and measures their
retention. However, in a mouth, the attachment is
usually embedded in saliva (wet conditions), and the
wet conditions will reduce retention. The wet condi-
tion of the mouth is simulated by adding normal
saline. Hence, the second part of the experiments is
to measure the retention under such conditions.
The O-ring attachment is extended by vertical
loading. Fig. 3 plots the relationship between the
loading and duration of extension. After a particular
period of time, loading does not increase but decreases
slowly to zero. As shown in the figure, the retention
is defined as the maximum load in the curve.
A fastening system is designed to apply the two-
force principle when the attachments undergo tensile
testing.
408 Journal of the Chinese Institute of Engineers, Vol. 27, No. 3 (2004)

Table 1 Retention in dry conditions

Analysis O-ring Magnetic Zest
data attachment attachment attachment
Relax Average Deviation Average Deviation Average Deviation
time value percentage value percentage value percentage
2 Mins. 1222 1.92% 765 2.13% 1150 0.25%
30 Mins. 1238 1.14% 761 3.21% 1153 0.29%
60 Mins. 1243 1.22% 769 2.13% 1153 0.20%
(unit: gram)

Table 2 Retention in wet conditions

Analysis O-ring Magnetic Zest
data attachment attachment attachment
Relax Average Deviation Average Deviation Average Deviation
time value percentage value percentage value percentage
2 Mins. 1019 2.32% 665 1.93% 1135 1.66%
30 Mins. 1038 4.91% 664 5.19% 1109 1.75%
60 Mins. 1021 4.56% 682 2.69% 1104 0.99%
(unit: gram)

The magnetic attachment is extended by verti- Rentention

cal loading. Fig. 4 shows the relationship between
loading and duration of extension. When the vertical
loading pass the critical point, the loading drops
quickly.
The Zest attachment is extended by vertical
loading. Fig. 5 plots the relationship between the
loading and period of extension. Fig. 5 is similar to
Fig. 3, but beyond the highest point the loading drops
faster than in Fig. 5.
For some viscoelastic materials, it takes time to
relax after loading/unloading. During the measure-
ments of retention, three relaxation periods were
chosen, two minutes, thirty minutes and sixty minutes.
Measurements were made six times for each period.
2. Experimental Results
The speed of the testing machine is set to 2 mm/
min to pull on the three attachments. In the dry con-
dition test, the dry attachments are directly pulled to
measure the retentions. Table 1 presents the experi-
mental results. The data reveal that three relaxation
periods yield similar results. That indicates the at-
tachments materials recover from loading/unloading
quite fast.
In the wet condition test, the attachments are wet
by normal saline to measure the retention. Table 2
shows the experimental results.
Comparing the results for retention yields the
following conclusions. First, under dry conditions,
Vertical loading
Tensile
Time
Fig. 5 The relationship between the loading and duration of ex-
tension (Zest attachment)
the O-ring attachment has the greatest retention, and
the magnetic attachment the least. Second, under wet
conditions, the Zest attachment has the greatest
retention, and the magnetic attachment the least.
The wet conditions by adding saline reduce re-
tention of the attachments significantly. The conse-
quent fall in the retention of O-ring attachment is the
greatest, at approximately 17.83%; that of the mag-
netic attachment is 11.19%, and that of the Zest at-
tachment is the least, at approximately 4.26%.
The magnetic attachment is most easily influ-
enced by side forces and is thus most easily pulled
off, reducing its retention. The Zest attachment is
not easily influenced by side forces or easily pulled
off.
III. THEORY OF PHOTOELASTIC STRESS
ANALYSIS
According to Maxwell’s stress-optical theorem
 C. G. Tseng and Y. S. Jiang: Mechanics Analysis for Implant-Soft Tissue Retained Overdenture
σ2
Slow
axis
Fast axis
A Model
Quarter-wave
plate
Z
Analyzer
Fig. 6 The circularly polariscope
(Dally and Riley, 1991), photoelastic material has
light refractive indices of n 1 and n 2 in the directions
of the maximum principal stress and the minimum
principal stress, respectively, after loading. They are
related by,
n 1−n 2 =C( σ 1− σ 2)
where C is called the relative stressoptical coefficient.
When light passes through the circularly polarized
light system and model, it can obtain following for-
mulation
Nf σ
(σ 1 – σ 2 ) =
h furnace for tempering. The arch model is then placed
where N is called the fringe order, and fσ is called the
material fringe value. Accordingly, the stress is pro-
portional to the fringe order.
Circularly polarized light can be divided into the
arrangement of dark field and of the bright field, and
the arrangement of dark field is chosen. Fig. 6 shows
the circularly polarized light through the combined
system.
1. Manufacturing an Artificial Mandible
An arch model is fabricated according to the
normal occlusion condition of the natural mandible,
and considering the statistical data on arches pre-
sented in (Lavelle, 1975; Robert, 1999). First, the
statistical data are input into a CNC (computer nu-
merical control) machine and the arch model is made.
409
Fast axis
Light
Slow axis
source
σ1
Polarizer
Quarter-wave
plate
Second, formed silica plastic material is used to make
the arch model by casting. Finally, the PL-2 liquid
photoelastic resin material is shot into the interior of
the formed silica plastic model, following the opera-
tional procedures supported by the manufacturer
(Measurements group Company).
(1) After hardening, the arch model must be checked
for defects including air holes, impurity, irregularity
of scale, or bending deformation. If any of these de-
fects are present, the model cannot be used in an
experiment. If it has no defects, the arch model is
placed in the field of the circularly polarized light to
determine its transmitance and whether it has residual
stresses inside. If so, the model is placed in a hot
(2)
again in the field of the circular polarized light to
check whether it still has the residual stresses. If so,
the model is discarded. Otherwise, it serves as an
experimental model. The transmittance of the arch
model can be decided by the compound proportions
of base plastic and hardener. The shooting model
must reserve suitable clearance.
2. Inserting the Implant
This paper considers two types of arch model.
The first is made of material PSM-1 (hard plate),
which is formed into an arch model by CNC manufac-
turing. The second involves shooting PL-2 liquid
photoelastic resin material into a silica plastic model.
These two types of models are manufactured using
different processes, so the methods by which their
implants are inserted are also different.
410 Journal of the Chinese Institute of Engineers, Vol. 27, No. 3 (2004)

The implant can be inserted into the PSM-1 arch

model by screwing. This procedure is similar to
clinical practice. The experiment performed here
adopts Branemark’s implant with a diameter of
3.75 mm and a length of 10 mm. A sequential driller
can be used to drill holes in the arch model. Next,
the screw tap is used to tap the holes, and the implant
is finally screwed into the arch model. In practical
situations, a small clearance exists between the end
of the implant and the arch model. (a)
The implant is inserted into the PL-2 arch model
when the PL-2 liquid photoelastic resin material is
shot into the silica plastic model. The implant and
arch model are formed simultaneously, so no gap is
formed between them after hardening.

3. Soft Tissue

Between the arch model and the denture is a soft

plate, which simulates the mucosa (periodontal
membrane) of the mouth, and can buffer the forces
when the denture comes into contact with the arch.
The experiment uses Molloplast-B as the soft plate.
The method of manufacture involves painting
the Molloplast-B material on the surface of the gyp-
sum model, which is simulated periodontal
membrane. Next, the model is surrounded in a flask,
and a pressure of 100 kg is applied. Finally, the model
is placed in water at 100 °C to boil for 120 minutes.
The model will then be covered with a soft layer of 2
mm, so the layer can be taken out of the gypsum model
and attached to the arch model.
4. Full Denture
Photoelastic fringe patterns may be blocked by
the extension of the denture flange, therefore, the
denture flange is cut down to a suitable size.
Furthermore, the attachment imbeds into the end of
the denture using a self-fixing resin.
IV. IMAGING PROCESS
In practical applications, the subject of the im-
age is surrounded by noise. It is necessary to reduce
the noise before one can analyze the subject. This
can be done by computer image processing techni-
ques. Mathematically, the gray level of every pixel
point of a digital image can be expressed as a matrix,
which can be used to ana- lyze the stress fringe order.
The left corner of a fringe image can be set for the
original point, and the matrix is used to process the
image.
The photoelastic pattern of stress fringes on
implant is imaged using a CCD camera, which is lim-
ited by the number of pixels of CCD. A higher pixel
(b)
Fig. 7 (a) The image of dark field; (b) the image of bright field
number corresponds to greater signal and noise. Im-
age processing technology can thus be used to
perform more precisely photoelastic analysis. The
middle value filter method and the image minus
method can be used to minimize the noise further.
The image minus method can be applied to superim-
pose the dark field image on the bright field image to
reduce the noise. The middle value filter method can
be used again to reduce the noise. After these treat-
ments, more fringes are obtained and the fringe order
of every fringe band is clarified. Finally, the fringe
order value near the implant can be accurately and
quickly determined.
In the first step, the model can be loaded and a
dark field image obtained. In the second step, the
analyzer is rotated 90 degrees and the circularly po-
lariscope is switched to the bright field. The theo-
rem of photoelasticity yields the gray level of the dark
and bright field images, as follows.
I d=ACOS2φ (dark field) (3)
I b=ASIN 2φ (bright field) (4)
where I d and I b are the gray values of images.
Now, Figs. 7(a) and 7(b) can be used to describe
the operation of the middle value filter method and
the image minus method. Fig. 7(a) shows the dark
field image and Fig. 7(b) shows the bright field image.
Fig. 8 is the photoelastic image pattern of the
bright field minus dark field: subtracting the images
 C. G. Tseng and Y. S. Jiang: Mechanics Analysis for Implant-Soft Tissue Retained Overdenture
Fig. 8 The image of bright field minus dark field
(a)
(b)
Fig. 9 (a) The fringe doubling method; (b) the fringe doubling
plus the middle filter method
decreases the environmental noise. The absolute
value Eq. (3) minus Eq. (4) is used.
I r = I d – I b = A COS(2φ) (5)
It is worthwhile to observe that the frequency is
doubled, since the argument in the periodic function
is 2 φ instead of φ. Fig. 9(a) displays the photoelastic
pattern of fringe doubling, governed by Eq. (5). The
doubling and subtracting treatment result in a
photoelastic pattern that may still include some noise,
so the middle value filter method is applied again to
reduce the noise (Miu, 1999). If the photoelastic pat-
tern includes very strong noise, the difference be-
tween the gray levels of neighboring pixels will be
relatively large. While the middle value filter method
can be used to force the gray levels to be similar
among neighboring pixels, thus the noise is reduced.
411
b a a b
d c c d
e e
Fig. 10 The five selective points
Comparing Fig. 9(b), after treatment by doubling and
the middle value filter method, to Fig. 9(a) shows that
the noise is effectively eliminated.
V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION OF
PHOTOELASTICITY
Under general conditions, the following method
can be used to determine the fringe order:
1. At the free end of the arch model, the stresses are
zero; that is, the fringe order is the least.
2. The fringe order is counted from the zero stress
points or lines. A larger fringe order corresponds
to a greater stress concentration and a greater prin-
cipal stresses difference ( σ 1− σ 2 ).
3. The Id for the stress concentration index can be
set to compare the stresses in different positions,
yield the equation
Nf σ
Id = (σ 1 – σ 2) = (6)
h
The homemade plate model can be used to cali-
brate the material fringe value of the PL-2 photoelas-
tic model, f σ = 2.015 Kpa-m/fringe and the material
fringe value of the PSM-1 photoelastic model, f σ =
6.62 Kpa-m/fringe. The experiment results also yield
the fringe order of selecttive points of every model at
positions a, b, c, d and e, as shown in Fig. 10. Now,
these fringe orders can be substituted into Eq. (6),
and the stress concentration index at every point can
be derived. Furthermore, these data are obtained ex-
perimentally to calculate and compare the stresses of
each model.
1. Experimental Results
The bite positions or the loading positions are
shown in Fig. 11. Points 46 and 36 indicate the posi-
tions of premolars, and points 43 and 33 indicate the
positions of the cuspids.
Tseng et al. (2000) used practical statistical arch
data and hard material to create an arch model. The
experiment performed here on the PL-2 arch model
412 Journal of the Chinese Institute of Engineers, Vol. 27, No. 3 (2004)

36
46
43
33

(a)

Fig. 11 The bite and loading position of photoelastic model

is the same as was performed by Tseng, but liquid

material is used. This arch model’s flange is so long
that it blocks some photoelastic fringes. Accordingly,
PSM-1 material is used to make the arch model
because the simple semi-circular type of model can
be easily formed. The CCD camera can be conve- (b)
niently used to photograph the fringe pattern. Both
arch models are compared in terms of the distribu-
tion of the fringe pattern and the maximum stress.
Whether the simple semi-circular arch model can rep-
resent the true model will be determined.
Comparing the fringe patterns of both PL-2 and
PSM-1 model yields the following results.

(i) Arch Model of PL-2 Material

PL-2 arch models with various attachments are
studied. Vertical loading is applied to point 43. The
CCD camera and imaging process software are used
to obtain the fringe pattern at point 43 close to the
implant, to inspect the stress fringe. The fringe pat-
tern yields the following results.
(1) Magnetic attachment
The loading is transmitted from the attachment
to the implant, so the fringe order near the implant
increases linearly with loading. When the loading
reaches 58.86N, the fringe order is N=6, as shown in
Fig. 12(a), and point e has the most fringes, so point
e is the point of stress concentration. If the load is
1N, then the stress concentration index is Id=
19.38Kpa.
(2) O-ring attachment
The O-ring attachment includes clearance and
black plastic ring in its interior. The load can be sepa-
rated by the clearance, black plastic ring and soft
tissue. So, for a given load, the fringe order of the
O-ring attachment is less than that of the magnetic
attachment. When the loading reaches 58.86N, the
fringe order is N=5, and the point e has the most
fringes and so is the point of stress concentration. If
the loading is 1N, the stress concentration index is
(c)
Fig. 12 The stress fringe patterns of PL-2 arch model in point 43
by vertical loading; (a) Magnetic attachment; (b) O-ring
attachment; (c) Zest attachment
Id=16.15Kpa, as shown in Fig. 12(b).
(3) Zest attachment
The Zest attachment includes clearance and a
black plastic ring. Loading causes the cap of the at-
tachment to press upon the base. The load can be
reduced by the clearance, black plastic ring and soft
tissue. So, for a given load, the fringe order of Zest
attachment is less than that of the magnetic attach-
ment. When the loading reaches 58.86N, the fringe
order is N=4, and again point e has the most fringes
and is the point of stress concentration. If the load-
ing is 1N, the stress concentration index is Id=
12.92Kpa, as shown in Fig. 12(c).
(ii) Arch Model of PSM-1 Material
PSM-1 material is used to make arch models
with various attachments. Vertical loading is applied
to point 43. A CCD camera and imaging process soft-
ware are used to obtain the fringe pattern at point 43
close to the implant to inspect the stress fringes. The
fringe pattern yields the following results.
 C. G. Tseng and Y. S. Jiang: Mechanics Analysis for Implant-Soft Tissue Retained Overdenture 413

Table 3 The comparison of maximum stress among the different models and attachments
Attachment Magnet O-ring Zest
Model attachment attachment attachment
PL-2 arch model 19.38Kpa 16.15Kpa 12.92Kpa
PSM-1 arch model 10.61Kpa 7.63Kpa None
PSM-1 semi-circle model 10.90Kpa 8.49Kpa 6.37Kpa

(1)Magnet attachment
When the loading reaches 294.3N, the fringe
order is N=5, and point d has the most fringes and so
is the point of stress concentration. If the loading is
1N, then the stress concentration index is Id=
10.61Kpa, as shown in Fig. 13(a).

(2)O-ring attachment
When the loading reaches 294.3N, the fringe (a)
order is N=4, and points c and d have the most fringes,
and so are the points of stress concentration. If the
loading is 1N, the stress concentration index is Id=
8.49Kpa, as shown in Fig. 13(b).

(3)Zest attachment
When the loading reaches 294.3N, the fringe
order is N=3, and point c and d have the most fringes
and so are the points of stress concentration. If the
loading is 1N, the stress concentration index is Id=
6.37Kpa, as shown in Fig. 13(c). (b)
The above results indicate that the stress dis-
tribution of the Zest attachment near the implant is
the smallest, that of the O-ring attachment is next
smallest, and that of the magnetic attachment is the
largest. Therefore, the Zest attachment exhibits the
best buffer effect under vertical loading.
Table 3 shows that the PL-2 arch model has
about twice the stress as the PSM-1 model has. The
implant of the PL-2 arch model is inserted into the
arch by casting and there is no clearance between the (c)
implant and the arch. However, the implant of the Fig. 13 The stress fringe patterns of PSM-1 arch Model in point
PSM-1 arch model is inserted into the arch by 43 by vertical loading; (a) Magnetic attachment (b) O-ring
threading, and, that leaves clearance between the attachment; (c) Zest attachment
implant and arch. Therefore a vertical loading ap-
plied to point 43 is directly delivered through the In Table 3 the maximum stresses among the dif-
implant to the PL-2 arch model, and the stress is con- ferent models and attachments are compared. Al-
centrated at the bottom of the implant. In the PSM-1 though different shapes are used, the stress values are
arch model, under the same loading conditions, the similar and the points of stress concentration are the
loading will be taken by the circumference of the same. Accordingly, the experimental results show
implant because the bottom of the implant is not in that the semi-circular model can be used to replace
contact with the arch model. Therefore, the majority the arch model.
of the loading cannot be delivered to the bottom of
the implant or the PSM-1 arch model. Therefore, un- (iii) Non-Direct Loading in Implant
der the same conditions, the stress on the PSM-1 arch
model will be much less than that on the PL-2 arch Loading on point 46 and inspecting the fringe
model. pattern at point 43 of the implant reveal that the
414 Journal of the Chinese Institute of Engineers, Vol. 27, No. 3 (2004)

5. When the magnetic attachment is used to attach

the denture to the implant, the ambient of the im-
plant will undergo the greatest stress. The 0-ring
and Zest attachments act as buffers because they
include clearance and a plastic ring between the
implant and the denture. The Zest attachment has
a stronger buffer effect than the 0-ring attachment.
6. The stresses of the PL-2 arch model are concen-
trated on the bottom of the implant, and those of
the PSM-1 model are on the side of the implant.
The distance from the bottom of the implant to the
side of the implant is about onethird of the height
(a)
of the implant. The results for PL-2 and PSM-1
arch models differ greatly, and the PL-2 arch model
more closely approaches the practical clinical
situation. Accordingly, the PL-2 injection will be
used to simulate the clinical situation in the future.
7. The stress distributions of the simple semi-circu-
lar model and the practical arch model are similar.
Therefore, in the future, the simple semi-circular
model will be used in preference to the complex
scale arch model.
8. The PL-2 arch model has almost double the stress
of the PSM-1 because the implant of the PL-2 arch
model is inserted into the arch with no clearance
(b) between the implant and the arch.
Fig. 14 The stress fringe patterns in point 43 by loading on point 9. The non-direct loading on the implant has very low
46 (a) PL-2; (b) PSM-1 stress and can be neglected.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
non-direct loading produces very low stresses on the
implant, which can be neglected. This situation is The writers are thankful to the reviewers for
shown in Fig. 14. their valuable suggestions and comments.

VI. CONCLUSIONS NOMENCLATURE

The above analysis and discussion yields the C the relative stress-optical coefficient
following conclusions. fσ the material fringe value
1. Under dry conditions, the orders of retention of h thickness of model
the three attachments is, 0-ring attachment > Zest Ib gray level of the bright field image
attachment > magnetic attachment. Id gray level of the dark field image
2. Under wet conditions, the orders of retention of Ir gray level of the bright field image minus the
the three attachments is, Zest attachment > 0-ring dark field image
attachment > magnetic attachment. Id the stress concentration index
3. After normal saline is added, the retention of each n1 the light refractive index in the direction of the
attachment is compared under dry and wet maximum principal stress
conditions. Finally, the drop in retention under wet n2 the light refractive index in the direction of the
conditions is greatest for the O-ring attachment at minimum principal stress
about 17.83%, next largest for the magnetic N the fringe order of a photoelastic pattern
attachment, at about 11.19%, and the least for the σ1 the maximum principal stress
Zest attachment, at about 4.26%. σ2 the minimum principal stress
4. Experimental results indicate that the method of
photoelasticity can be practically used to analyze REFERENCES
the stress distribution near the implant. The ambi-
ent stress distribution of the implant is different Barrie, R. D. G., 1981, “Magnetic Retention for Com-
with the design of the attachment. plete and Partial Overdentures,” Journal of
 C. G. Tseng and Y. S. Jiang: Mechanics Analysis for Implant-Soft Tissue Retained Overdenture
Prosthetic Dentistry, Vol. 45, No. 6, pp. 484-491.
Burns, D. R., Unger, J. W., Elswic, R., and Beck,
D. A., 1995, “Prospective Clinical Evaluation of
Mandibular Implant Overdentures Part I:
Retention, Stability, and Tissue Response,” Jour-
nal of Prosthetic Dentistry, Vol. 73, No. 4, pp.
354-363.
Dally, J. W., and Riley, W. F., 1991, Experimental
Stress Analysis, McGraw-Hill, New York, USA.
Department of Health of Executive Yuan, 2000,
Age Composition of Population, Taiwan Area,
Taiwan, ROC.
Eiichi, N., Yasuhiro, N., Hirokozu, Y., and Hiroaki,
M., 1980, “Study of Retention in Attachments for
Overdenture (II) O-ring Attachment,” Journal of
Osaka University Dentistry School, Vol. 20, No.
3, pp. 215-226.
Glickman, I., Rober, F. W., and Brion, M., 1970,
“Photoelastic Analysis of Internal Stresses in the
Periodontium Created by Occlusal Forces,” Jour-
nal Periodontal, Vol. 41, pp. 30-35.
Huang, B. Y., 2000, “Discussion of Early Crest Bone
Loss and Clinical Treatment Methods,” Associa-
tion of Dental Implant Science of the Republic of
China, Vol. 23, No. 8, pp. 13-19.
James, P., 1998a, “Root-Supported Overdenture,”
Journal of Clinical Feature, CDS Review, Vol.
12, No. 6, pp. 22-25.
James, P., 1998b, “Mandibular Implant Supported
Overdentures,” Journal of Oral Heath, Vol. 23,
No. 4, pp. 43-54.
Kemper, R., Szucs, A., Divinyi, T., and Tham, F.,
1992, “Biomechanical Testing of DIAKOR Im-
plant by Photoelastic,” Fogorvosi Szemle, Vol. 85,
No. 10, pp. 299-307.
Kenney, R., and Wrichurd, R. M., 1998, “Photoelastic
Stress Patterns Produced by Implant-Retained
Overdentures,” Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry,
Vol. 80, No. 3, pp. 559-564.
Lavelle, C. L. B., 1975, “The Shape of the Dental
Arch,” Journal of Orthod, Vol. 67, No. 2, pp. 176-
184.
Lee, H. E., 1989, “The Stress Analysis of Fixed
Prosthodontic of Crown-Bridge: Finite Element
Method and Photoelastic Method,” Master Thesis,
Department of Engineering Science, National
Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Measurements Group Instruction Bulletin Com-
pany, “Introduction to Mixing Type PL-2 Liquid
Plastic,” Catalog, USA.
Merill, C., Mehsor, B. A., 1990, “Removable Partial
415
Overdenture with Mechanical Precision Attach-
ment,s” Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, Vol. 34,
No. 4, pp. 668-681.
Miu, S. G., 1999, Application of Digital Imaging Pro-
cessing-Matlab, Chuan Hwa Science and Tech-
nology Book Co., Taipei, Taiwan, pp. 5-17~5-21.
Nishimura, R. D., Ochiai, K. T., Caputo, A. A., and
Chang, M. J., 1999, “Photoelastic Stress Analy-
sis of Load Transfer to Implants and Natural Teeth
Comparing Rigid and Semi-Rigid Connectors,”
Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, Vol. 81, No. 3,
pp. 696-703.
James, R. P., and Angelo, C. A., 1974, “Analysis of
Stress Patterns in the Human Mandible,” Journal
of Dentistry, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 814- 821.
Robert, S., 1997, “Implant-Supported Over-Dentures:
The ZAAG Attachment System,” Journal of Im-
plant-Supported Overdentures, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp.
1144-1151.
Robert, T. L., 1999, “Arch Width and Form,” Jour-
nal of Orthod Dentofacial Orthop, Vol. 115, No.
8, pp. 305-313.
Sasaki, H., Kinouchi, Y., Tsutsui, H., and Toshida,
Y., 1984, “A Magnetic Attachment for Overden-
tures,” Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, Vol. 51,
No. 4, pp. 450-455.
Stewart, B. L., 1983, “Retention and Wear of Preci-
sion-Type Attachment,” The Journal of Prosthetic
Dentistry, Vol. 8, No.4, pp. 28-34.
Tseng, C. G., Chen, G. H., and Shih, K. S., 2000,
“Photoelastic Stress Analysis of Overdenture for
O-ring and Magnetic Attachments,” Proceedings
of the 24th National Conference on Theoretical
and Applied Mechanics, Abstract, Taoyuan,
Taiwan, pp. K-1.
Voloshin, A., and Burger, C. P., 1983, “Half-Fringe
Photoelasticity,” A New Approach to Whole-Field
Stress Analysis, Experimental Mechanics, Vol.
23, pp. 304-313.
Ziada, H. M., Benington, I. C., and Orr, J. F.,
1995, “Photoelastic Stress Analysis in Resin
Bonded Bridge Design,” Journal of Prosthodon-
tics and Restorative Dentistry, Vol. 3, No. 5, pp.
217-222.
Zuest, P., 1982, “Think Twice before You Adjust
Attachment Retention,” Quintessence of Dental
Technology, Vol. 1, pp. 307-308.
Manuscript Received: Mar. 02, 2003
Revision Received: Aug. 23, 2003
and Accepted: Nov. 07, 2003