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Bone Tissue Stiffness in the Mandibular Condyle is Dependent on the Direction and Density of the Cancellous Structure

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Abstract

Variation in the apparent stiffness of cancellous bone is generally ascribed to variation in cancellous structure and density, while the bone tissue stiffness is assumed to be constant. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the bone tissue stiffness is dependent on the direction and density of the cancellous structure. Bone tissue stiffness was estimated by combining mechanical testing and micro-finite element (micro-FE) modeling on cylindrical bone specimens obtained from the human mandibular condyle. One set of specimens was tested in the vertical direction of the condyle (n = 39) and another set in the transverse direction (n = 30). The cancellous structure of the specimens was characterized by micro-CT. The apparent bone stiffnesses predicted by the FE model correlated strongly (r2 = 0.91) with the measured apparent bone stiffnesses. Apparent bone stiffness in the transverse direction was considerably smaller than that in the vertical direction. In contrast, the predicted bone tissue stiffness was significantly larger in the transverse direction (E = 13.70 GPa) than in the vertical direction (E = 11.87 GPa). In addition, bone tissue stiffness correlated negatively with the bone volume fraction and directional sensitivity of the bone tissue stiffness increased with a decrease of bone volume fraction. The results suggest that the transversely oriented trabeculae in the mandibular condyle are stiffer and more mineralized than the vertically oriented trabeculae and that bone loss is compensated by an increase in the degree of mineralization.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Irene Aartman for statistical advice, and to Jan Harm Koolstra and Geerling Langenbach for their comments on the manuscript. This work was sponsored by the National Computing Facilities Foundation (NCF) for the use of supercomputing facilities. This research was institutionally supported by the Inter-University Research School of Dentistry, through the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam. We would like to thank the Academic Computer Services Amsterdam for their technical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Functional Anatomy, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    T. M. G. J. van Eijden & L. J. van Ruijven

  2. Department of Orthodontics and Oral Biology, University Medical Centre Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    E. B. W. Giesen

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  1. T. M. G. J. van Eijden
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  2. L. J. van Ruijven
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  3. E. B. W. Giesen
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Correspondence to T. M. G. J. van Eijden.

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van Eijden, T.M.G.J., van Ruijven, L.J. & Giesen, E.B.W. Bone Tissue Stiffness in the Mandibular Condyle is Dependent on the Direction and Density of the Cancellous Structure. Calcif Tissue Int 75, 502–508 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-004-0295-6

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