Examination of Occlusal Contacts by Using "Dental Prescale". Special Reference to the Rate of Detected Occlusal Contacts in the Intercuspal Position.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to verify whether the examination by using “Dental Prescale®”(Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.) could detect the occlusal contacts correctly. Five normal male subjects were instructed to bite black silicone (Bite-Checker®, GC Co., Ltd.) and Dental Prescale®(30 H, R-type) in the intercuspal position at the three levels of clenching force. The ratios of the number of occlusal contacts detected by using Dental Prescale, in comparison with the number of that evaluated by silicone-black method, were calculated and analyzed.The results were as follows:1. The rates of occlusal contacts detected by Dental Prescale were 80.9±9.1% at the clenching level of 20% MVC (maximum voluntary contraction), 88.0±6.1% at 40% MVC and 95.5±4.6% at 60% MVC. The rates were significantly increased as the clenching force level became higher.2. In posterior teeth, the rates of occlusal contacts detected by Dental Prescale were more than that in anterior teeth.These results lead to the conclusion that medium or higher clenching force is necessary for the examination of occlusal contacts by using Dental Prescale. This examination is more reliable in posterior teeth (especially in molars) than that in anterior teeth, where we sould take care not to fail to notice the occlusal contacts.