A cantilevered piezoelectric beam with a tip mass at its free end is a common energy harvester configuration. This paper introduces a new principle of designing such a harvester which increases the generated voltage without changing the natural frequency of the harvester: The attraction force between two permanent magnets is used to add stiffness to the system. This magnetic stiffening counters the effect of the tip mass on the natural frequency. Three setups incorporating piezoelectric bimorph cantilevers of the same type in different mechanical configurations are compared theoretically and experimentally to investigate the feasibility of this principle. Theoretical and experimental results show that magnetically stiffe

Background: The healing period for bone–implant contact takes 3–6 months or even longer. Application of Escherichia coli-derived recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (ErhBMP-2) to implant surfaces has been of great interest on osseointegration due to its osteoinductive potential. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of ErhBMP-2 on implant stability. Materials and methods: A total of 48 dental implants were inserted in 15 patients. Twenty four implants coated with 0.5 mg/ml ErhBMP-2 (study group). The other 24 implants were uncoated (control group). Each patient was received at least two dental implants at the same session. Both groups were followed with repeated implant stability measurements by me

Background: the primary objective for many researches carried out in dental implantology was to reduce the period needed for functional implant loading, simvastatin (cholesterol lowering medication) had many pleiotropic effects, one of which was increasing bone density around titanium implants (1) and subsequently establishing faster osseointegrated dental implants (2,3). This study aims to reduce the period of time needed to establish secondary stability of dental implant measured in ISQ (Implant Stability Quotient) by investigating the effect of orally administered simvastatin on bone. Materials and methods: simvastatin tablets (40mg/day for three months) were administered orally for 11 healthy women aged (40-51) years old who received 1

Due to the advantages over other metallic materials, such as superior corrosion resistance, excellent biocompatibility, and favorable mechanical properties, titanium, its alloys and related composites, are frequently utilized in biomedical applications, particularly in orthopedics and dentistry. This work focuses on developing novel titanium-titanium diboride (TiB2; ceramic material) composites for dental implants where TiB2 additions were estimated to be 9 wt.%. In a steel mold, Ti-TiB2 composites were fabricated using a powder metallurgy technique and sintered for five hours at 1200 °C. Microstructural and chemical properties were analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ra

Background: Dental implants act as infrastructure for fixed restoration to look like as a natural tooth. Osseointegration is a biological events and considered as a base for success of dental implant. The aim of this study is to evaluate the bond strength between bone and Ti implant coated with mixture of nano hydroxyapatite-chitosan-collagen compared with Ti implants coated with nano hydroxyapatite implanted in rabbit tibia, after different period of implantation time (two and six weeks) by torque removal test. Material and methods: 36 screws of commercially pure titanium; 8mm in length and 3mm diameter , 18 screws coated with mixture of nano hydroxyapatite-chitosan-collagen and18 screws coated with nano hydroxyapatite by dip coating. St

Background: Implant stability is considered one of the most important factors affecting healing and successful osseointegration of dental implants. The aims of the study were to measure the implant stability quotient (ISQ) values during the healing period and to determine the factors that affect implant stability. Materials and methods: Thirty patients enrolled in the study (17 female, 13 male). They received 44 Implantium® Dental Implants located as the following: 22 implants in maxillary jaw, 22 implants in mandibular jaw from them 17 implants in anterior segment and 27 in posterior segment. The bone density determined using interactive CT scan and classified according to the Misch bone density classification (29 implants in (D3), 15 i

In this work, electrochemical process was presented to polymerized eugenol on Gr.2 and Gr.5 titanium alloys before and after treated by Micro Arc Oxidation (MAO), where Gr.2 is commercial pure titanium and Gr.5 is Ti-6Al-4V dental alloys. The deposited layers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The adhesion strength of polymeric thin-film was estimation by using pull-off adhesion test and the result was the adhesion strength of PE was (1.23 MPa) on Gr.2 before MAO and increase to (1.98 MPa) on Gr.2 after MAO treatment. The corrosion behavior of Gr.2 and Gr.5 alloy in artificial saliva environment at

Background: Post-extraction alveolar ridge resorption is unavoidable phenomenon ending with insufficient ridge width. Measuring the physical dimensions of the available bone before implant surgery is an important aspect of diagnosis and treatment planning. Bone height can be calculated from radiographs, while bucco-lingual ridge width can be measured by conventional tomography, CT scanning and ridge mapping.

Radiographic techniques have certain disadvantages. Therefore the ridge mapping technique was used as an option for determining alveolar ridge width.

The purpose of this study was to compare the validity of alveolar ridge width measurements obtained with ridge mapping technique before surgical flap reflection against