To get a better understanding of forces acting on teeth and the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) during the mastication process, we are developing accurate finite element models for parts of the human musculo-skeletal system. While the ultimate goal is to obtain models guided by active electrical muscle activation, we focus in a first step on large displacement deformations of the muscles of mastication. The deformation of these muscles is dictated by their material properties and the movement of the mandible. A motion tracking system is used to track the movements of the mandible during a chewing cycle. This allows us to prescribe the displacements at the attachment points of the muscles to the bone.

Three dimensional high-order (cubic Hermite) elements are used to construct accurate meshes for the anatomically based geometries. Taking into account the complexity (and desired accuracy) of the geometry, the high-order discretizations, and the kinematics and kinetic of the mandible, it is clear that fast, efficient and accurate iterative solvers, such as an (algebraic) multigrid method, are inevitable. In this talk, we discuss the applications, introduce the model creation for bone, teeth, and muscles, and present first numerical results.

This research is funded by the Foundation for Research in Science and Technology (FRST) under contract number UOAX0406.