Comparison of mandibular movements recorded by two pantographs

Denar and Stuart pantographic tracings were obtained at 10 separate appointments with one patient. Twenty pantographic recordings were transferred to the Stuart fully adjustable articulator. One pantograph from each appointment was used to set the articulator. The second pantograph of each appointment was mounted on the articulator without altering the setting adjustments and compared to the first pantograph of the previous 10 sessions. Overlay tracings were generated on the articulator as a permanent record of how accurately the articulator had been set and to compare measurements to the nearest 0.1 mm. Each working and orbiting path tracing was measured at four locations with a total of 960 measurements. Paired and Student t tests determined statistically significant differences. Mean data showed a 0.007 mm difference between Stuart and Denar recordings and was not statistically significant. Of the 12 lines on each set of tracings, the right vertical working path revealed significant data. Of the 48 measuring sites, the right vertical working path and the left vertical orbiting path displayed noteworthy data.