Evaluation of three occlusal examination methods used to record tooth contacts in lateral excursive movements

Accurate and repeatable methods for recording tooth contacts are required for the clinical management of problems related to occlusion. A thorough understanding of the materials and procedures used in these methods is important to achieve desirable results in the treatment of such problems. This study compared three occlusal examination methods to determine the influence of materials and procedures on the number of tooth contacts recorded. Tooth contacts were analyzed at two lateral mandibular positions with each method. It was found that the method that uses black silicone recorded the highest number of tooth contacts. Thus the most frequent type of occlusal pattern observed was full-balanced occlusion. This study suggested that the disparities of results reported in literature on occlusal contact patterns could be the result of the different materials and methods used for occlusal registration.