title: Effect of occlusal contact stability on the jaw closing point during tapping movements.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We studied the relationship between tapping point reproducibility and stability of occlusal contacts at maximum intercuspation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tapping movements of 12 adult volunteers who had dentition with natural teeth were recorded, and distances between the tapping point (TP) and the intercuspal position (ICP) at the incisal point were calculated. Occlusal contacts at the ICP of individual subjects were also evaluated with black-colored silicone impression material. The correlation between TP-ICP distance and occlusal contact stability was studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TP-ICP distance exhibited negative correlations with the total number of teeth showing occlusal contact at the ICP. Standard deviations of TP-ICP distance also negatively correlated with the extension of occlusal contact area over dentition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This finding indicates that occlusal contacts at the ICP affect the kinematic behavior of tapping movements. The results of this study also suggest that jaw movement data may provide useful clinical information for the evaluation of occlusal contact at ICP.
authors: Department of Fixed Prosthodontics, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, 3 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima, Japan. keisuke@dent.tokushima-u.ac.jp
authors: Keisuke
authors: K
authors: Nishigawa
authors: Yoshitake
authors: Y
authors: Suzuki
authors: Teruaki
authors: T
authors: Ishikawa
authors: Eiichi
authors: E
authors: Bando
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003760:Dental Impression Materials; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007568:Jaw / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D003760:Dental Impression Materials