Abstract
Bone remodeling is a dynamic and complex process governed by mechanical loading and molecular signaling. Numerical models serve as essential tools in predicting structural changes in bone, assessing implant integration, and evaluating the effects of pharmacological or pathological conditions. This review provides a critical comparative analysis of two principal classes of bone remodeling models: phenomenological and mechanobiological. Phenomenological models treat bone as an adaptive continuum responding to mechanical stimuli, offering numerical efficiency and compatibility with finite element methods. In contrast, mechanobiological models incorporate explicit representations of cellular dynamics, regulatory pathways (e.g., RANK/RANKL/OPG, WNT/β-catenin), and biological feedback mechanisms. While biologically realistic, they are limited by high parameterization, calibration challenges, and computational cost. The review outlines the application domains of each approach, highlights current limitations, and discusses potential directions for hybrid modeling. We conclude that future research should focus on integrating biological fidelity with numerical tractability to enable predictive, personalized simulations of bone remodeling