Background: Occlusal forces are transmitted through the craniofacial skeleton, but the extent to which these stresses propagate to the cranial base remains unclear. Finite element analysis offers a precise tool to study stress distribution in complex craniofacial structures. Aim of the study: To evaluate stress trajectories generated by occlusal loading and determine their extension to the cranial base using CT-derived finite element models. Setting and design: An in-silico finite element study was conducted at the Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Government Dental College no inferential statistics were applied. Results: High occlusal loads (1000 N, 500 N) generated stresses in the mandible exceeding cortical bone yield limits (>100 MPa), while cranial base stresses remained negligible (~0.5 MPa). Physiological loading (350 N) produced mandibular stresses within cortical bone tolerance (~76 MPa). Masseter stresses were higher in combined maxilla-mandible loading compared to mandibular-only loading. Conclusions: Occlusal forces are primarily dissipated within the mandible and maxilla, with minimal extension to the cranial base. Finite element analysis confirms the biomechanical safety of orthodontic loading with respect to cranial structures.
D.P et al. (2026) studied this question.