A New Method for Designing Functionally Generated Occlusal Surface with Six-Degree-of-Freedom Articulator

Abstract

Purpose: The objective of this research was to develop a new method to create a functional occlusal surface that requires least intra-oral occlusal adjustment. A new six-degree-of-freedom articulator consisting of a jaw tracking device and six-axis micro-positioning stage was used for this purpose.
Methods: A young female patient who planned to have a full veneer crown restoration on the upper left first molar was used as the subject. Jaw movement of the subject was recorded with the sixdegree-of-freedom jaw tracking device (BS-3) and reproduction of the recorded jaw movement data was performed with a HEXAPOD six-axis parallel kinematics robot.
Results: Working cast models were mounted on the six-degree-of-freedom articulator. An occlusal table with FGP wax was attached on the abutment tooth of the working model and jaw movement reproductions were performed to create a functionally generated path on the occlusal table. Some of the jaw movement data exhibited deeper biting jaw positions than the maximum inter-cupal position. Slight deformation of dentition during functional jaw movement seemed to cause these jaw positions. The occlusal table with functionally generated occlusal surface was used for taking the wax pattern of the full veneer crown. In this subject, intra-oral occlusal adjustment was not necessary for setting the finished full veneer crown.
Conclusions: A six-degree-of-freedom articulator that reproduces jaw movement with a working cast model was used to fabricate a full veneer crown on the upper left first molar of a patient.Reproductions of the patient's jaw movements were performed to create the functionally generated occlusal surface of the full veneer crown. This new technique was successfully used to create a dental prosthesis that required least intra-oral occlusal adjustment.