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All sporting activities have an associated risk of orofacial injuries due to falls, collisions with players, devices, and hard surfaces. The purpose of this investigation was to determine is there alteration of condylar path and frontal guidance values in athletes with and without orofacial injuries. The sample consists of 34 athletes who were divided into two groups (Control and Examines group). "Control group" consists of 11 athletes without data of macrotrauma of the stomatognatic system (athletes who didn’t get blow to the face). The second group is "Examines group" witch consists of 23 athletes with macrotrauma (athletes who get blow to the face), 11 of them were athletes with macrotrauma on the right side of jaw and 12 of them were athletes with macrotrauma on the left side of jaw. Athletes with anamnestic blow to the jaws, immediately after injury, have had stiffness/pain of masticatory muscles, pain in region of TMJ, and limitation of jaw movements. But all symptoms diminished and finally were gone after some days or weeks after injury. In time of investigation all of them were completely without any symptom of temporomandibular dysfunction according to RDC/TMD protocol, and were completely satisfied with function of their stomatognathic system. Athletes with macrotrauma have limitation of Bennett angle on the one side while on the opposite side Bennett angle is larger than the average values given in literature. As conclusion, if athletes with macrotrauma need prosthetic therapy, without individual articulator adjustment, prosthodontics work can cause iatrogenic interference. That interference during time may cause temporomandibular dysfunction. All patients need individual approach to their stomatognatic system, and only in that way damage to the system can be avoided.

The increased popularity of sports, apart from being beneficial to health, also results in a larger number of injuries, a part of which are also injuries to the stomatognatic system. According to the data from literature orofacial injuries in basketball are frequent, but relatively minor. The World Dental Federation places basketball into the category of medium-risk sports for the occurrence of injuries to the stomatognatic system. The purpose of this investigation was to determine incidence, type and severity of orofacial injuries during basketball and the frequent of the mouthguard use in a selected sample of basketball players from the City of Zagreb and the Zagreb County. The sample consists of 195 athletes who actively participate in basketball, 61 junior and 134 senior players. A total of 2 615 injuries to the stomatognatic system were documented in this research, 529 (20.2%) of those refer to juniors and 2 086 (79.8%) to seniors. The most common injuries are lacerations and contusions of soft tissue 84.4% (21.5% juniors and 78.5% seniors), followed by temporomandibular joint injuries and oral muscles stiffness 13.4% (14.9% juniors and 85.1% seniors) and 2.2% dental injuries (3.5% juniors and 96.5% seniors). Only 6.7% of players (13 players--2 juniors and 11 seniors) have tried to wear a mouthguard, while only one 1% of them (2 players--one junior and one senior) frequently used it. Total number of injuries shows that sports injuries are common during basketball. Average number of almost 4 injuries per player is relatively high. Dental injuries and temporomandibular joint injuries and oral muscles stiffness are relatively rare, only 16%. Lacerations and contusions of soft tissues represent 84% of all injuries and that minor injuries do not require professional care.

Aim of this investigation was to determine the spatial relations of the terminal hinge axis of the temporomandibular joints toward Frankfurt horizontal. The sample consisted of 50 examinees. Terminal hinge axis was located, using Lauritzen's technique, on the left side of face for each examinee. Arbitrary point, as proposed by Sumiya Hobo, was measured and point Orbital was defined by palpation. On designated points steel pellets 0.25 mm in diameter were stocked. Lathero--latheral cephalogram was obtained for each examinee. Cephalograms were traced down on a transparent foil and points Orbital, THA--terminal hinge axis, Hobo and Porion--as the uppermost point of the metal ear rod of the cephalostat, were designated. Connecting points Orbital and Porion, Frankfurt horizontal was defined, and shortest distance toward points THA and Hobo, as well as between them were measured. Lines parallel and perpendicular to Frankfurt horizontal were drawn through point THA. In a co-ordinate system defined in such a way, upper left quadrant was first, upper right second, lower right third, and lower left was fourth. Observation was made in which quadrant Hobo point was located. Measured values were statistically evaluated. Results revealed that Hobo point is located in first quadrant in 5 cases, in second in 7, third quadrant in 18, and in fourth in 20 cases. That means that Hobo point is located lower to the THA point in majority of our population. Points THA and Hobo were not identical in any case. Mean values of variables showed that investigated points were inferior to the FH. Measures of variability revealed great variability of both points toward FH, as well as for their mutual distance. It could be pointed out that THA point should be defined kinematically during prosthodontic procedures, and that orientation in articulator's space should not be according to the FH.

Determination of vertical dimension of occlusion by roentgencephalometric method, with the help of the angle of the lower third of the face, has been described in literature. The aim of this study was to modify the angle of the lower third of the face and correlate its determination with reference planes for orientation of casts in the articulators space, to determine mean value and measures of variability of the modified angle in a random sample, and the possibility to use this angle as a control value for establishing the height of the lower third of the face. On a sample of 131 roentgenograms in L-L projection, with teeth in maximal intercuspation, points: N, IS47, THA, SNA, SNP, Xi and Pg were traced down. By the use of this points the angle of the lower third of the face (angle K) was constructed. The values of the angle were measured and statistically analyzed. Mean value of the angle was 48.5 degrees, with standard deviation of 4.41 and coefficient of variation 9.09%. The investigated angle can serve as a control value for determination of intermaxillary relationships and should not be accepted as an strict norm.

Estimation of the inclination of the occlusal plane and its spatial orientation during the insertion of plaster casts in the articulators space, and control during the clinical phase of the prosthetic work, is one of the key problems in dental prosthetics. The aim of this investigation was to compare the relations of the basic roentgencephalometric parameters applied and to determine their reliability. Five angular variables were analysed: OP-MdP, OP-PP, OP-CP, OP-FP and OP-SNP, on a sample of 86 radiographs of subjects with almost normal occlusion by applying basic statistical parameters and the correlation's analysis. The results gave mean values of the investigated variables with estimation of their variability and level of mutual correlation, which can be used when determining individual inclination of the occlusal plane. Parameters FP and SNP showed significant stability and reliability which can be successfully applied in prosthodontics.