Md Abu Hasan

Graduation Semester and Year

2016

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

First Advisor

Panayiotis S. Shiakolas

Abstract

Full arch fixed implant prosthesis has been one of the most effective treatment modalities for fully edentulous patients over the last few decades. However, due to lack of proprioception occlusal overload is experienced by the prosthesis and its components causing major biomechanical complications such as screw/abutment fracture, framework fracture, and bone loss. The currently available approaches for the overload management rely on external appliances such as an occlusal splint or bite guard and result in occlusal discomfort and high patient dissatisfaction. In this research, an approach to induce artificial proprioception in the full arch fixed implant prosthesis is proposed. However, the primary contribution of the research is the design and development of a tooth embeddable sensor to monitor occlusal load without requiring any external appliance. Studying the biomechanics of artificial dentition and available occlusion schemes, a two-axis force sensor (strain gauge based) was designed for a single acrylic resin tooth (molar). The design is based on lingualized occlusion scheme for centric occlusion and group function scheme for lateral occlusion. A cavity was created inside the molar tooth to obtain a measurable deformation and encapsulate the sensing mechanism. Finite element models were developed to study the effects of material and geometric parameters of the tooth on deformation profiles at the lower occlusal surface of the cavity. The tooth and two-axis force sensing mechanism were prototyped using additive manufacturing. Sensing strain gauges were added on the sensing structure beams and the components were assembled inside the tooth. The responses from the sensors were experimentally characterized under a mastication load and frequency of 50 N and 1 Hz respectively and theoretical models were developed for the loading and unloading responses to predict the system behavior. The vertical and horizontal force sensors exhibited good dynamic behavior under repeated loading. It was demonstrated that the developed force sensor can measure both vertical and horizontal loads in the occlusal surface of the molar tooth. Thus, the proposed tooth embeddable force sensor could potentially eliminate the issue of occlusal interference observed with external appliances and may significantly improve the prosthetic rehabilitation modalities for fully the edentulous patients.

Keywords

Molar tooth, Finite element analysis, Sensor, Characterization, Two-axis force sensor, Denture, Full arch fixed implant prosthesis, Hybrid denture, Prosthesis, Prototype

Disciplines

Aerospace Engineering | Engineering | Mechanical Engineering

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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