Effects on the torsional vibration behavior in the investigation of dental implant osseointegration using resonance frequency analysis: a numerical approach

Resonance frequency analysis (RFA) methods are widely used to assess implant stability, particularly the Osstell^® device. The potential effects associated with this method have been discussed in the literature. Torsional RFA (T-RFA), mentioned in our previous study, could represent a new measurement method. The purpose of this study was to simulate T-shaped and Osstell^® transducer–implant–bone system models; compare their vibration modes and corresponding resonance frequencies; and investigate the effects of their parameters, such as the effective implant length (EIL), bone quality, and osseointegration level, on the torsional resonance frequency (TRF) and bending resonance frequency (BRF) using three-dimensional finite element analysis. Following the finite element model validation, the TRFs and BRFs for three different EILs and four types of bone quality were obtained, and the change rates during 25 degrees of osseointegration were observed. The analysis showed that an increase in the EIL and a decrease in bone quality have less effect on the declination rate of TRFs than on that of BRFs. TRFs are highly sensitive to the stiffness of the implant–bone interface during the healing period. It was concluded that T-RFA has better sensitivity and specificity.