Numerical investigation of the factors affecting interfacial stresses in an MOD restored tooth by auto-meshed finite element method

Many researches have addressed the high correlation between the fracture of restored teeth and the prepared cavity geometry. In addition, concerns about bonding versus debonding dental materials from cavity walls and different occlusal force conditions could also alter the mechanical responses in a restored tooth. This study employed an automatic mesh procedure to investigate the mechanical interactions between different interfacial conditions and cavity parameters such as pulpal wall depth under different chewing functions. The results indicated that when occlusal force was applied directly on the tooth, it could increase unfavourable stress dramatically. When interfacial fixation was simulated as the contact condition between the tooth tissue and restorative material, it might increase the fracture potential exponentially compared with the bonded interface. For pulpal wall depth analyses, greater risks of fracture for the remaining tooth were observed in deeper cavity of mesio-occlusal-distal (MOD) restorations and the existence of a pulpal wall is essential even it is only 1 mm above the gingival wall.