Clinical factors and clinical variation influencing the reproducibility of interocclusal recording methods.
OBJECTIVE
The reproducibility of clinical records of the occlusion was assessed in three dimensions using mounted casts. Three distinct areas were examined: 1) mandibular positions (intercuspal position (IP) or retruded contact position (RCP)), 2) materials used in recording the occlusion, 3) clinical variation.


METHODS
Interocclusal records were made in a random order of three patients: one fixed prosthodontics case, one removable partial denture case and one complete denture case, with two different types of waxes, record rims, two different brands of vinyl polysiloxanes and one irreversible hydrocolloid.


METHODS
Private practice and Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Sweden.


METHODS
One general dental practitioner and three voluntary patients.


RESULTS
Point estimation of variance components indicate that 70-93% of the variation of the positions of the mounted casts are caused by: 1) clinical variation for all three cases and in three directions, 2) the influence of recording materials 0-29%, and 3) mandibular positions (IP/RCP) 0-11%. The ranges of the positions of the mounted casts were lower for the dentate case (0.04-1.39 mm) than for the partially dentate case (0.17-2.65 mm), which in turn was lower than those for the edentulous case (1.42-5.59 mm).


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical variation seems to dominate the variation in positions of mounting casts when making interocclusal records, rather than mandibular position or the recording materials used. Therefore a dentist who makes one single interocclusal record cannot presume that it will reproduce the interocclusal relationship intended, which in the present study was most obvious for the edentulous case. The results showed that impression materials stabilised by a tray did not differ significantly from waxes and record rims concerning the reproducibility. Therefore the stabilised impression materials are an alternative, which also give additional advantages like reduction of appointments as well as superior accuracy.
Eriksson
A
A
Department of Dental Biomaterial Science, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Sweden. anderik@swipnet.se
Ockert-Eriksson
G
G
Lockowandt
P
P
Eriksson
O
O
D000368:Aged; D000464:Alginates; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003725:Dental Articulators; D003760:Dental Impression Materials; D003761:Dental Impression Technique / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003824:Denture, Complete; D003830:Denture, Partial, Fixed; D003832:Denture, Partial, Removable; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007574:Jaw Relation Record / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D003765:Models, Dental; D011145:Polyvinyls; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012833:Siloxanes; D014885:Waxes
D000464:Alginates; D003760:Dental Impression Materials; D011145:Polyvinyls; D012833:Siloxanes; D014885:Waxes; C034183:vinyl polysiloxane