Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the applicability of the newly-established method to analyze distribution of occlusal force among implant superstructure and natural teeth at different clench levels.
Dental Prescale (Fuji Film Co. Tokyo) was used to record occlusal contacts and the force loaded on each of them. Four clench levels, which were 25, 50, 75, and 100%MVC, were regulated by visual biofeedback of masseter muscle EMG. This method was applied to five patients who received osseointegrated implants at the prosthodontic clinic of Kyushu University Dental Hospital attached to The Faculty of Dentistry and the applicability of the method was discussed.
The results indicated that the Implant Support Ratio, which was defined in this study, can be used for the quantitative evaluation of the occlusal force distribution among implant superstructure and natural teeth at different clench levels. It was suggested that the distribution of occlusal force depends not only on the patterns of missing teeth but also the occlusal scheme and the conditions of the residual natural teeth.
