The bone-prosthesis interface: An overview and preliminary tests

The mechanical stability of the bone-prosthesis interface is crucial for the long term reliability of implanted devices. The chance of bone to self-remodelling involves the bone-prosthesis interface which evolves during time according to the transmitted stresses; the design of the prosthesis, including shape, materials and surface finishing, should take into consideration this phenomenon in order to avoid the loosening of the mechanical interface. The numerical analysis allows to calculate the stresses at the interface due to the loads applied to the prosthesis but, being a suitable model of bone remodelling not yet available, the prevision of the interface evolution is not reliable. The experimental approaches, like the experimental procedure that we have set up to evaluate the mechanical interface between dental implants and bone, evaluate the mechanical stability of the interface by measuring the load necessary to break it.