Do Exostoses Correlate with Contact Disfunctions? A Case Study of a Maxillary Exostosis

Abstract

A maxillary exostosis is a benign overgrowth of bone that occurs on the outer or facial surface of the maxilla and is usually located near the premolar or molar teeth. This paper investigates the correlation between the presence and growth of jaw exostoses and the oral mechanics of contact. For this purpose, a case study of an upper jawbone exostosis of a female patient was considered. 3D models of the patient’s cranial bones were extracted from 2D computerized tomography (CT) data and were analyzed by proper software. A contact congruence evaluation based on the Winkler contact model was performed, and results were presented in terms of indentation maps and load distributions. Results were correlated with the theory of bone remodelling by Wolff.

Correlations between dental wear and oral cavity characteristics: Mandibular torus, palatine torus, and oral exostoses

“…Changes in orientation and the location of occlusal stress alter mechanical loads and the contact points between teeth; the resulting change strongly influences stress directionality and distribution within a tooth and the oral cavity as a whole (Valigi & Logozzo, 2019). A case study by Valigi and Logozzo (2019) examines the presence of unilateral maxillary buccal exostoses.…”

“…Changes in orientation and the location of occlusal stress alter mechanical loads and the contact points between teeth; the resulting change strongly influences stress directionality and distribution within a tooth and the oral cavity as a whole (Valigi & Logozzo, 2019). A case study by Valigi and Logozzo (2019) examines the presence of unilateral maxillary buccal exostoses. The mechanical load was higher on the right side of jaw bone (location of the oral exostoses) and lower on the opposite side; in addition, the left side (healthy) of the mandible the mechanical load was uniformly distributed while the right side was nonhomogeneous (Valigi & Logozzo, 2019), suggesting that exostoses arise because of nonuniform distribution of mechanical forces.…”

“…A case study by Valigi and Logozzo (2019) examines the presence of unilateral maxillary buccal exostoses. The mechanical load was higher on the right side of jaw bone (location of the oral exostoses) and lower on the opposite side; in addition, the left side (healthy) of the mandible the mechanical load was uniformly distributed while the right side was nonhomogeneous (Valigi & Logozzo, 2019), suggesting that exostoses arise because of nonuniform distribution of mechanical forces. Dietary shifts or differences, changes in food preparation, loss of dentition or masticatory stress can contribute to changes in the directionality of mechanical forces (Bruce et al, 2004; Halffman et al, 1992; Mayhall & Mayhall, 1971; Pechenkina & Benfer Jr., 2002).…”

“…The law of bone remodeling (Wolff, 1986) states that bone deformities are the consequence of a functional adjustment to the alteration in the biomechanical loads. Bone deformation is not necessarily a pathological condition, but one that is a result of mechanical or contact dysfunction (Valigi & Logozzo, 2019). Heavy masticatory forces of short duration (<50 kg < 1 second) are primarily absorbed by fluid components of the periodontium (Proffit, 2000) resulting in the bending of collagen and alveolar bone.…”

Numerical Analysis of an Osseointegration Model

“…We point out that this work was a first step toward dealing with the study of these osseointegration models. A possible extension could be to consider, for instance, the so-called joint congruence, that is to analyze how the articular surfaces mate each other (see, for instance, [43,44]).…”