A Simple Method for Measuring Tooth Position on a Dental Model

Part II Supero-inferior Position

Abstract

A simple method for measuring supero-inferior position of an arbitrary point on a dental model mounted on an articulator has been developed and tested.
1. A beak-like pointer was fixed to the inner side of one of the jaws of the Digimatic Caliper (Mitsutoyo Co., Tokyo, Japan) for measuring supero-inferior position of an arbitrary point (for example, cusp tip, fossa, etc.) including concave one on a dental cast attached to a mounting plate for mounting on an articulator.
2. Using the Digimatic Caliper modified with a beak-like pointer, three fixed points on the same dental model were measured by three testees. The average standard deviations in the test, was 0.18mm in the measurment of supero-inferior positions.
3. By means of the Digimatic Caliper with a beak-like pointer revised in this study, supero-inferior position of an arbitrary point on a dental cast can be measured simply with accuracy of 5 times of the past method.
However, since the setting accuracy of the anterior reference point greatly influences the measurement error of supero-inferior position of a point on a dental cast, precaution is necessary for setting accuracy of the anterior reference point.