COMPARATIVE FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF POLYETHERETHERKETONE (PEEK) AND TITANIUM ALLOY DENTAL IMPLANTS: BIOMECHANICAL AND MATERIAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
Ayushi Pandey1, Rajeev Kumar1, Anuj Kumar Sharma2
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Engineering & Technology, Lucknow, India
2Department of Mechatronics, Centre for Advanced Studies, Lucknow, India
Abstract: Dental implants are widely utilized for oral rehabilitation, with their clinical success determined largely by the degree of osseointegration and biomechanical compatibility of the implant material. Titanium and its alloys, particularly Ti-6Al-4V, have been extensively used due to their high strength and corrosion resistance; however, their high elastic modulus (110 GPa) compared to that of cortical bone (13-15 GPa) leads to stress shielding and potential bone resorption. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), a high-performance thermoplastic polymer, offers a lower elastic modulus (3-4 GPa) closer to bone, alongside excellent wear resistance, radiolucency, and biocompatibility. In this study, finite element analysis (FEA) was performed using ANSYS 19.2 to compare the mechanical performance of PEEK and titanium-based dental implants under vertical loading from 100 N to 760 N with an additional 40 N lateral force. The analysis revealed that PEEK implants exhibit lower localized stress concentrations and more uniform stress distribution across the bone implant interface, with deformation values around 0.34 mm at maximum load, compared to 0.015 mm for titanium implants. These findings demonstrate PEEK’s capacity to replicate the biomechanical behavior of bone, thereby reducing stress shielding and enhancing load transfer. Hence, PEEK represents a promising alternative material for next-generation dental implants offering improved mechanical and biological performance.
Keywords: Dental implants, Bioactive materials, Polyetheretherketone, ANSYS, Finite element analysis.
VOLUME 10 ISSUE 01 2026: 102 – 121