The temporal sequence describes the continous development of occlusal contacts and occlusal force, that results between the first tooth contact (T1 - initial antagonistic tooth contact) and complete intercuspation (T15 - 0.15 seconds after T1,that can be divided into 15 individual time increments). The force and timing changes that occur between T1 and T15 have not been adequately described within the literature, such that how force evolves over time while sequential occlusal contacts occur during closure, has been overlooked by clinicians and researchers. Although a distinction is often made between “static occlusion“ (that which occurs without mandibular movement), and “dynamic occlusion“ (that which occurs with mandibular movement in a lateral or mediotrusive direction), these definitions are based on starting the movememts from complete intercuspation (MIP). However, the very important time period when occlusal force builds up between the initial tooth contact, through the progressive increase in the numbers of occlusal contacts, to finally end in complete intercuspation, has not been adequately studied due to a lack of capable measuring tools. However, because the T-Scan technology records incremental time, the temporal sequence of occlusal force build up can be readily recorded and displayed in fractional time increments,for analysis.
Published in Chapter:
Precision and Reliability of the T-Scan III System: Analyzing Occlusion and the Resultant Timing and Distribution of Forces in the Dental Arch
Bernd Koos (University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Germany)
Copyright: © 2015
|Pages: 29
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-6587-3.ch003
Abstract
Precise analysis of occlusal contacts and occlusal force is a problem in functional diagnostics that has not yet been satisfactorily resolved, despite the fact that the deleterious consequences of an unbalanced occlusion are widespread and can be severe. In clinical practice, the present-day analysis of the occlusion is reduced to depicting force with color-marking foils that leave ink marks upon the teeth. However, these foils only indicate the localization of contacts, but do not describe reliably the occlusal force relationships. Precise analysis that incorporates time resolution and plots the distribution of forces within the occlusion is not possible when employing the traditional occlusal indicator methods. A detailed occlusal force and timing analysis can only be provided by performing a computer-assisted analysis, using the T-Scan III system (Tekscan, Inc. S. Boston, MA, USA), which records changing relative occlusal force levels and real-time occlusal contact sequence data with High Definition (HD) recording sensors. This chapter demonstrates the accuracy and reliability of this computer-based occlusal measurement method that reliably describes the time-dependent distribution of occlusal force evolution.