Influence of restoration thickness on the stress distribution of ultrathin ceramic onlay rehabilitating canine guidance: A 3D-finite element analysis

BACKGROUND: The rehabilitation of canine guidance can be performed with adhesive indirect materials, but can the restoration thickness be reduced without mechanical disadvantages? Thus the goal of this study was to analyze the stress of upper canines which received different thicknesses of ceramic fragments for the rehabilitation of the canine guidance using finite element analysis. METHODS: A superior canine was modeled using a computer aided design software. The dental tissues were individually shaped containing enamel, dentin and periodontal ligament. The following three different ceramic fragment thicknesses were then implemented: 0.3, 0.7 and 1.5 mm. Lithium disilicate was chosen as the ceramic material. The solid geometries were exported to the analysis software. The materials were considered isotropic, homogeneous and linear. The set was submitted to efforts in the incisal third in the palatine face to analyze maximal principal stress, mimicking mandibular lateral movement. The applied load was 100N, and the fixation region was on the medullary bone. RESULTS: For restoration, the thinner the ceramic, the higher the stress concentration was; while for the adhesive surface of teeth, the thicker the ceramic, the higher the stress concentration. CONCLUSIONS: The smaller the ceramic thickness was, the lower stress concentration showed at the adhesive interface, while the stress concentration was higher on the restoration intaglio surface.