Development of a novel intraoral measurement device to determine the biomechanical characteristics of the human periodontal ligament

► Periodontal disease influences the constitutive law of the periodontal ligament. ► A device has been designed to intra-orally measure tooth deflections. ► First in vitro and in vivo measurements show time-dependent behaviour of the PDL. ► Future experimentation will provide a database for refinement of the PDL constitutive law.