Unveiling the relationships between the alveolar bone mechanical and structural properties in health and periodontal disease

About the Project

Project details:

Periodontitis presents a significant challenge in dentistry, often leading to tooth loss due to irreversible damage to the supportive soft and hard tissues surrounding teeth. To this date, there is still debate to whether occlusal load impact periodontal disease development and progression. The evidence for the quality of alveolar bone in terms of a mechanical and structural properties prior to and during periodontal disease is limited. Therefore, the investigation of the interaction of mechanical loading and periodontal disease development on the bone properties around teeth is helpful to develop novel treatments and strategies that reduce further bone loss likelihood and the associated personal and societal costs.

Recently, computational models based on in vivo microCT images have shown high potential to assess the biomechanical properties of bones. In this project, we will aim to show that microCT-based micro-finite element (microFE) models of the mouse alveolar bone can be used to evaluate accurately the bone stiffness, bone strength and local deformation, as compared against state-of-the-art biomechanical experiments (1). These models are useful to non-invasively evaluate the mechanical behaviour of the mouse bone.

The student undertaking this project will work at The School of Clinical Dentistry in Sheffield in a highly multidisciplinary environment, supported by Dr. Vitor Neves (Senior Clinical Lecturer specialised in treating patients with advanced periodontal disease) and Professor Enrico Dall’Ara (Professor of Musculoskeletal Biomechanics) from the School of Medicine and Population Health.

The primary objective of the project will be to apply the microCT-based micro-finite element (microFE) models of the mouse alveolar bone, of animals that are healthy and those that underwent periodontal disease induction (2). Following that, we will apply the same models on human cone-beam-CT scans to compare the findings.

This innovative approach not only seeks to advance our understanding of biomechanics in periodontal disease but also aims to lay the groundwork for the development of prognostic tools to guide the dentist about potential periodontal disease progression. By integrating cutting-edge bioengineering techniques with clinical insights, this project holds the potential to significantly improve periodontal disease management patient outcomes.

Entry Requirements:

Candidates must have a first or upper second class honours degree or significant research experience.

How to apply:

Please complete a University Postgraduate Research Application form available here: www.shef.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/apply

Please clearly state the prospective main supervisor in the respective box and select (School of Clinical Dentistry) as the department.

Funding Notes

This opportunity is open to self-funded candidates.

References

(1) Roberts BC, Cheong VS, Oliviero S, Arredondo Carrera HM, Wang N, Gartland A, Dall'Ara E. Combining PTH(1-34) and mechanical loading has increased benefit to tibia bone mechanics in ovariectomised mice. J Orthop Res. 2023 Dec 27. doi: 10.1002/jor.25777. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38151816.
(2) Neves, V.C.M., Satie Okajima, L., Elbahtety, E. et al. Repurposing Metformin for periodontal disease management as a form of oral-systemic preventive medicine. J Transl Med 21, 655 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-023-04456-1