ABSTRACT
This work consists in a bone remodeling study applied to the trabecular bone in the vicinity of a natural tooth. Knowing that bone can adapt its morphology according to a certain loading scenario, many mechanologic remodeling models have been proposed, aiming to predict the typical bone’s architecture observed in X-ray or micro-CT images. This work applies Belinha’s model, further extended by Peyroteo and co-workers, that consists in an optimization process aiming to minimize the strain energy density field. The remodeling process is reflected by changes of bone’s mechanical properties and apparent density that are correlated with an experimental law obtained by Zioupos et al. A two-dimensional model of a healthy tooth is the numerical example used in this study. This model is analyzed with distinct numerical techniques: the Finite Element Method (FEM) and two meshless methods—the Radial Point Interpolation Method (RPIM) and the Natural Neighbour Radial Point Interpolation Method (NNRPIM). The use of this mechanologic model applied to a natural tooth revealed a good agreement with results presented in the literature.
