Resumen

Dental crowding is among the most common reasons for consultation in orthodontics, and despite its association with multiple factors such as the anterior component of force (ACF), arch form and interproximal contact size, no relation between these variables has been reported. The objective of this study was to establish the relation between arch form, interproximal contact size and dental crowding in the lower arch through a finite element model (FEM). Nine models with a basic geometry of the lower arch (3 oval, 3 square and 3 triangular) were developed using Ansys® 16.0 software, each one with different contact sizes (point to point, 1mm diameter and 2mm diameter) analyzed under one load. ACF dissipation, strains, rotations and displacements were evaluated for each tooth. Differences in displacement and rotation of each tooth with variations in arch form and contact size were observed. Overall, triangular arches and point-to-point contacts were related with the greatest number of displacements and rotations, while arches with 2 mm wide interproximal contact points presented the greatest stability. In conclusion, ACF tends to produce lower dental crowding, which can be reduced with wide arches and interproximal reduction (IPR) that increases the size of proximal contacts.