Alveolar bone resorption following tooth loss represents a major clinical challenge in prosthodontics. Conventional removable dentures fail to transmit the mechanical and bioelectric stimuli required to maintain jawbone density, resulting in progressive ridge atrophy, compromised denture retention, and deteriorating facial aesthetics. Osseointegrated implants effectively preserve bone but require invasive surgery, significant cost, and are contraindicated in many patients. We propose PiezoStim: a removable denture system incorporating (1) piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) elements within hollow prosthetic crowns that generate micro-electrical charges under occlusal loading, (2) a custom-fit titanium-gold alloy conductive lattice that distributes these charges across the full alveolar ridge, and (3) patient-specific micro-needle charge conductors — hair-thin titanium-gold pins implanted at established soft tissue injection sites — that transmit stimulation deep into periosteal and subosseous tissues. For patients undergoing concurrent extraction, a complementary subosseous conductive pellet may be placed at the time of surgery to establish a direct bone-level charge pathway. This system requires no battery, no electronics, and is fully removable for routine overnight disinfection. The proposed mechanism targets osteoblast stimulation via exogenous bioelectric fields, a phenomenon well-documented in the bone regeneration literature. This preprint presents the design rationale, material selection, candidate mechanisms of action, potential clinical pathways, and a proposed research agenda for in vitro and in vivo validation.
Connor Marc Hunter (Wed,) studied this question.