Dental Implants

Dental implant nomenclature

There are three types of dental implants: endosseous (within the bone implants), subperiosteal (on top of the bone implants), and transosteal (through the bone implants). 

The first of these types of implants, the endosseous implants, are inserted into the upper or lower jaw bone and serve as the tooth root.  Following implantation, an abutment and prosthetic are then fixed to this type of implant to restore function. These implants are typically made from titanium or titanium alloys to ensure biocompatibility.

Fatigue testing of dental implants

ISO 14801 – Dental Fatigue Test for Endosseous Dental Implants is the test standard that addresses the set-up and test protocol for testing these implants.  The standard describes fixtures that can be used for testing implants with no pre-angled connecting parts and those that do.  For straight implants the implant is typically fixed at an angle that is 30 degrees from the loading axis although other angles may be tested implants with angled components.  For testing in ambient conditions, test frequencies up to 15 Hz may be utilized to complete the 5 million cycle test.  If testing is performed in a physiologic media the frequency must not exceed 2 Hz.

The ElectroForce® 3330 test instrument is well-suited to perform the testing outlined in ISO 14801.  WinTest® software allows the user to set-up a sinusoidal waveform in force control to perform the test.

Key Testing Performance Benefits