title: Investigating interocclusal perception in tactile teeth sensibility using symmetric and asymmetric analysis.
abstract: The purpose of this clinical trial was to determine the active tactile sensibility of natural teeth and to obtain a statistical analysis method fitting a psychometric function through the observed data points. On 68 complete dentulous test persons (34 males, 34 females, mean age 45.9 ± 16.1 years), one pair of healthy natural teeth each was tested: n = 24 anterior teeth and n = 44 posterior teeth. The computer-assisted, randomized measurement was done by having the subjects bite on thin copper foils of different thickness (5-200 µm) inserted between the teeth. The threshold of active tactile sensibility was defined by the 50% value of correct answers. Additionally, the gradient of the sensibility curve and the support area (90-10% value) as a description of the shape of the sensibility curve were calculated. For modeling the sensibility curve, symmetric and asymmetric functions were used. The mean sensibility threshold was 14.2 ± 12.1 µm. The older the subject, the higher the tactile threshold (r = 0.42, p = 0.0006). The support area was 41.8 ± 43.3 µm. The higher the 50% threshold, the smaller the gradient of the curve and the larger the support area. The curves showing the active tactile sensibility of natural teeth demonstrate a tendency towards asymmetry, so that the active tactile sensibility of natural teeth can mathematically best be described by using the asymmetric Weibull function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 7, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland. norbert.enkling@zmk.unibe.ch
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Enkling
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nicolay
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bayer
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mericske-Stern
authors.forename: Karl-Heinz
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Utz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003300:Copper; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D011594:Psychometrics; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D013499:Surface Properties; D014070:Tooth / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*; D055698:Touch Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003300:Copper