A Study on the Arrangement of the Maxillary Central Incisal Edge for Complete Dentures

Abstract

The position of the central incisal edge of a maxillary complete denture is affected by the height of the bite rim. When the height of the bite rim differs greatly from the intraoral condition upon taking a bite, it takes time to adjust or/and reline the denture. For the purpose of updating a standard height of the bite rim based on the average height, the front view of new upper and lower complete dentures was extraorally photographed, and the position of the incisal edge of the maxillary central incisor was measured on the photographs. For the investigation, the distance from the mucolabial fold near the maxillary labial frenum to the mucolabial fold near the mandibular labial frenum (A) and the distance from the mucolabial fold near the maxillary labial frenum to the incisal edge of the maxillary central incisor (B) of 186 new dentures were measured, and the A:B ratio was calculated. The average ratio of A:B in edentulous patients is reported to be 1:0.57, but in this study, the ratio was 1:0.64. This result suggests that the incisal edge of maxillary central incisors in complete dentures is located lower than that of natural teeth. This result can be used as a reference when fabricating a maxillary bite rim.