[The effects of functional diagnostic measures on orthodontic planning and therapy]

Patients with significant functional disorders were pretreated with a relaxation splint before planning orthodontic treatment. The orthodontic diagnostic procedures were completed with extensive clinical and instrumental examinations of function (articular diagnosis and axiography) before and after the pretreatment. The studies show that the pretreatment for patients with TMJ disorders is necessary for the differential diagnosis. Furthermore, this may become necessary in order to determine the individual acceptable therapeutic mandibular position. In most cases, the axiography was found to be of minor relevance for the orthodontic therapeutic plan. If the functional improvement is intended to have a stable and causal basis, then an extensive clinical and instrumental functional examination (for the determination of a reproducible mandibular reference position) is crucial at least in TMJ-disordered patients for planning and carrying out orthodontic treatment.