title: Face bow and articulator for planning orthognathic surgery: 1 face bow.
abstract: Orthognathic surgery that involves movement of the maxilla relative to the skull is usually planned using casts mounted on an articulator. Accurate positioning of the maxilla relative to the skull is essential for reliable planning, but current methods of mounting casts on articulators are inaccurate and unreliable. We propose that the casts should be mounted using the relation between the horizontal plane and the resting head position to define the position of the skull. A photographic study of 10 subjects confirmed the reproducibility of the head position and its relation to the horizontal plane. A face bow incorporating a circular spirit level was used to transfer the relation between the horizontal and the maxillary dentition to a semiadjustable articulator. The angle between the horizontal and maxillary occlusal planes was measured from six lateral cephalograms and compared with those of casts mounted on a semiadjustable articulator using a face bow with either an orbital pointer or a spirit level. The face bow with a spirit level produced considerably more accurate results.
authors.affiliation: Southern General Hospital, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Fraser
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Ashraf F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Ayoub
authors.forename: Khursheed F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Moos
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barbenel
mesh_terms: D002508:Cephalometry; D003725:Dental Articulators / Q000592:standards; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D004867:Equipment Design; D006257:Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D007574:Jaw Relation Record / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D008335:Mandibular Condyle / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008437:Maxilla / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D003765:Models, Dental; D009915:Orbit / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D056948:Orthognathic Surgical Procedures; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010781:Photography; D011187:Posture; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology