Modeling of crack propagation in a premolar tooth using finite elementmethod

Abstract

e term cracked tooth syndrome refers to an incomplete fracture of a vital posterior tooth that involves the dentine and occasionally extends into the pulp. To better understand the characteristics of the cracked tooth syndrome, a cracked premolar tooth will be studied here by using computational techniques. The first step for the analysis is the development of a 3D geometric model to serve as the basis for a finite element analysis. This model, generated from a commercial code, will be exported to a crack propagation program. By having the 3D model and choosing an appropriate crack propagation technique that fits the problem, one can define the material properties and loading types and conduct the crack propagation procedure under various loading conditions. A 2D model is fully studied while some initial results are extracted for the 3D model. Finally, the numerically obtained results can be compared with clinical results obtained from the literature.