抄録
This paper will discuss how a mechanical pantograph is used for clinical diagnosis based on actual cases.
The pantograph was effective in making diagnosis and observing prognosis in each case. However, a definitive diagnosis cannot be made with a pantograph alone. It is necessary to make a rational diagnosis by combining it with clinical symptoms and various other test results. Objective judgements should be made based on the latest knowledge of occlusion and clinical experience in interpreting the recorded lines.
Pantographs and other mandibular movement recording and analyzing systems should be used more widely to recognize each individual patient's occlusal characteristisc, so that prosthetic treatment in harmony with those characteristics can be provided and maintained. Pantographs were devised and modified as a result of the painstaking efforts by our predecessors. With the advancement of electronics, mandibular movement recording and analyzing devices are making a major progress. The oclusal diagnosis using these device which have a long history needs to be further systematized into a scientific discipline.
