Experimental Biomechanical Analysis of the Bone-to-Implant Connection in Single-Piece Implants

The mechanical properties of dental implants are critical for their durability. The purpose of this study was to determine the maximum force required to induce full pull-out of a titanium implant from the bone and to characterize the mechanical behavior during this process. First, pull-out tests were performed on monolithic implants embedded in bovine ribs and foam blocks that mimic the mechanical parameters of human bone, allowing a quantitative evaluation of implant-bone interface strength and a comparison of geometric variants. Second, the extraction process was recreated in a three dimensional finite element model incorporating nonlinear interface contact and parameterization, enabling the reproduction of load-displacement curves; the results obtained showed good agreement with the experiment. Third, the fracture surfaces were observed macroscopically and by scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results demonstrated significant distinctions in the forces required to extract implants with varying thread geometries, clearly indicating the impact of implant design on their mechanical stability. The presented FEM-based methodology provides a reliable tool to study mechanical interactions at the implant-bone interface. The findings obtained can improve our understanding of implant behavior in biological systems and provide a basis for further optimization of their design.