The biomechanics of chewing and suckling in the infant: A potential mechanism for physiologic metopic suture closure
Fig 5
Axial stress and strain in the superior-inferior (σxx and εxx) and medial-lateral (σzz and εzz) directions in each of the models during right-sided chew.
Left and right panels respectively shown stress and strain. In all models, superior-inferior stress and strain were the highest along the lateral maxillary vertical buttress, from the zygoma along the lateral orbital wall. The high levels of superior-inferior axial stress along the lateral orbital wall corresponded to tensile (positive, red) superior-inferior strain in the region, with corresponding compressive (negative, blue) superior-inferior strain along the medial orbital wall. Medial-lateral stress and strain were the highest along the transverse maxillary buttress, specifically the lower transverse buttress along the alveolar process and the upper transverse buttress along the inferior orbital rim. Stress and strain following the maxillary buttresses provides supporting evidence that the models are correctly modeling the physiologic mechanical landscape.