Determination of occlusal vertical dimension by means of controlled pressure against tissues supporting a complete...

In order to establish the vertical dimension (VD) of a complete denture prosthesis, a new method of determining a comfortable mandibular position was tested using a recently designed hydraulic jack (hydraulic vertical displacement meter) in five edentulous patients. The device was designed so as to vary occlusal height by means of an extraoral jig connected to intra-oral hydraulic jacks, and to distribute the bite pressure applied against the denture-supporting tissue in approximately the same pattern as that produced by a denture with a VD preferred by the patient. The most comfortable mandibular position determined by this method coincided remarkably with the preferred VD of each patient in our study, indicating that the new device may be used to establish VD for complete denture construction.