Computer-aided evaluation of occlusal load in complete dentures.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Dental Prosthetics
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Occlusal equilibrium is crucial for complete denture function and patient comfort.
• Accurate assessment of occlusal forces in complete dentures remains a clinical challenge.
• Existing methods for evaluating occlusal balance may lack precision or intraoral applicability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the capability of a computerized diagnostic system in evaluating complete denture occlusal equilibrium.
• To determine the correlation between the system's load index and the occlusal relationship on an articulator.
• To evaluate the system's suitability for verifying the need for occlusal adjustments in complete dentures.

Main Methods:

• A computerized diagnostic system with electronic sensor foil was utilized.
• The system was calibrated to intraorally compute a load index for both left and right denture sides.
• The load index was calculated based on measured force and the number of occlusal contacts.
• Centric occlusion of complete dentures was examined before and after remounting procedures.

Main Results:

• A good correlation was observed between the computed load index and the occlusal relationship assessed on an articulator.
• The system successfully computed a load index reflecting the distribution of forces between the left and right sides.
• The ratio of load left-to-load right indicates the degree of occlusal equilibrium, with 1:1 representing perfect balance.

Conclusions:

• The computerized diagnostic system demonstrates suitability for verifying the need for occlusal adjustments in complete dentures.
• The system provides a quantitative measure (load index) for assessing occlusal equilibrium.
• Further improvements in the system's hardware and software are recommended for enhanced clinical utility.