Efficient and reliable finite element methods for simulation of the human mandible

Abstract

By computed tomography data (CT), the individual geometry of the mandible is quite well reproduced, also the seperation of cortical and trabecular bone. Using anatomical knowledge about the architecture and the functional potential of the masticatory muscles realistic situations can be approximated. The solution of the underlying partial differential equations describing linear elastic material behaviour is provided by an adaptive finite element method. Estimates of the discretization errors, local grid refinement, and multilevel technique guarantee the reliability and efficiency of the method.