title: A new approach to evaluating occlusal support by analyzing the center of the bite force.
abstract: The aim of this study was to create a standard for occlusal support in the diagnosis and evaluation of prosthetic treatment. In experimental occlusion, the maximal bite force of eight normal dentates was measured by pressure-sensitive film over the whole dentition using splints divided into nine pieces. The occlusal contact was altered by exchanging splint pieces according to the shortened dental arch concept. The occlusal load center (OLC) was located on a graph set up with reference to the size of the individual dental arch. The occlusal supporting index (SI) and the rehabilitation index (RI) were calculated from the locations of the OLC corresponding to each occlusal contact. Differences in numbers and distribution of occlusal stops could clearly be distinguished by the location of the OLC. Though the SI showed a strong positive correlation with maximal bite force, it is proposed that the number of occlusal stops, or occlusal units, provides the most effective index for quantitative parameters of occlusal support in clinical use. From the standpoint of bite force, analysis of the RI is suggested as a useful method of objectively evaluating the recovery of occlusal support with prosthetic treatment.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Oral Rehabilitation, University Hospital, Faculty of Dentistry, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima Bunkyo-ku, 113-8549, Tokyo, Japan. shinogaya.ore@tmd.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shinogaya
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Sou
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toda
authors.forename: Iwao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001732:Bite Force; D003768:Dental Occlusion, Centric / Q000592:standards; D017267:Dental Prosthesis Design / Q000592:standards; D003799:Dental Stress Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007574:Jaw Relation Record; D007576:Jaw, Edentulous, Partially / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric