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Effect of Clenching Intensity on Areas of Occlusal Contact and Near Contact Recorded by a 3D Intraoral Scanner
Nawasorn Ruktanakit1, Udom Thongudomporn1, Atichart Kwanyuang2
1Orthodontic Section, Department of Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand.
Background:
3D intraoral scanners have been increasingly used. However, the effect of various clenching intensities on areas of occlusal contact and near contact (ACNC) recorded by scanners has not been investigated.
Objective:
This study compared ACNC results from a 3D intraoral scanner at various clenching levels and assessed measurement variability.
Methods:
Dental occlusions of 44 subjects were recorded using a 3D intraoral scanner at four maximum voluntary clenching (MVC) levels: 20% to < 40%, 40% to < 60%, 60% to < 80%, and 80% to 100%. The levels were determined by sEMG biofeedback of the right masseter muscle. The ACNC results at six levels of interocclusal distance (IOD) (< 50 to < 300 μm at 50 μm increments) were quantified with Geomagic software. Friedman tests and post hoc pairwise comparisons were used to analysed within-subject differences in ACNC at each IOD. The percent coefficient of variation (%CV) of ACNC at each IOD was assessed by the Feltz-Miller test (α = 0.05).
Results:
At almost all IODs, the ACNC measured at 20% to < 40% and 40% to < 60% MVC were significantly different from the higher clenching levels (p < 0.05). ACNC measured at 60% to < 80% MVC was not significantly different from 80% to 100% MVC (p > 0.05), which suggested a plateau effect. Across all IODs, the %CV showed a decreasing trend as clenching intensity increased, although not statistically significant (p > 0.05).
Conclusion:
Assessing ACNC with a 3D intraoral scanner may yield comparable results when clenching at 60% to 80% and 80% to 100% MVC. However, clenching at 80%-100% MVC may be preferable due to the associated lower %CV.
