The periodontal ligament (PDL) provides support, proprioception, nutrition, and protection within the tooth–PDL–bone complex (TPBC). While understanding the mechanical behavior of the PDL is critical, current research has inferred PDL mechanics from finite element models, from experimental measures on complete TPBCs, or through direct measurement of isolated PDL sections. Here, transducers are used in an attempt to quantify ex vivo PDL strain. In-fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors are small flexible sensors that can be placed within an intact TPBC and yield repeatable strain measurements from within the PDL space. The objective of this study was to determine: 1) if the FBG strain measured from the PDL space of intact swine premolars ex vivo was equivalent to physical PDL strains estimated through finite element analysis and 2) if a change in FBG strain could be linearly related to a change in finite element strain under variable tooth displacement, applied to an intact swine TPBC. Experimentally, individual TPBCs were subjected to 2 displacements (n = 14). The location of the FBG was determined from representative micro–computed tomography images. From a linear elastic finite element model of a TPBC, the strain magnitudes at the sensor locations were recorded. An experimental ratio (i.e., FBG strain at the first displacement divided by the FBG strain at the second displacement) and a finite element ratio (i.e., finite element strain at the first displacement divided by the finite element strain at the second displacement) were calculated. A linear regression model indicated a statistically significant relationship between the experimental and finite element ratio (P = 0.017) with a correlation coefficient (R²) of 0.448. It was concluded that the FBG sensor could be used as a measure for a change in strain and thus could be implemented in applications where the mechanical properties of an intact PDL are monitored over time.

牙周韧带 (PDL) 在牙齿-PDL-骨复合体 (TPBC) 内提供支撑、本体感觉、营养和保护。虽然了解 PDL 的力学行为至关重要，但目前的研究已经从有限元模型、完整 TPBC 的实验测量或通过对孤立 PDL 部分的直接测量推断出 PDL 力学。在这里，换能器用于尝试量化离体 PDL 应变。光纤布拉格光栅 (FBG) 传感器是小型柔性传感器，可以放置在完整的 TPBC 内，并在 PDL 空间内产生可重复的应变测量。本研究的目的是确定：1) 如果从完整的猪前磨牙的 PDL 空间测得的 FBG 应变与通过有限元分析估计的物理 PDL 应变等效，并且 2) 如果 FBG 应变的变化可以与变量下的有限元应变的变化线性相关牙齿移位，应用于完整的猪 TPBC。实验上，单个 TPBC 受到 2 次位移（n = 14)。FBG 的位置由具有代表性的微型计算机断层扫描图像确定。从 TPBC 的线性弹性有限元模型中，记录了传感器位置处的应变大小。计算了实验比（即第一次位移的FBG应变除以第二次位移的FBG应变）和有限元比（即第一次位移的有限元应变除以第二次位移的有限元应变） . 线性回归模型表明实验和有限元比率 ( P = 0.017) 与相关系数 ( R ²) 0.448。得出的结论是，FBG 传感器可用作应变变化的量度，因此可在随时间监测完整 PDL 的机械性能的应用中实施。