OCCLUSAL CONTACT ANALYSIS THROUGH SILICONE IMPRESSION TRANSILLUMINATION TECHNIQUE.

Introduction: The study of occlusion is fundamental in clinical practice. The methods commonly used for the analysis of the occlusion often provide only qualitative information, not very reliable, making these methods poorly reproducible. Purpose of the study: The aim of the study is the validation of a method for occlusal analysis in order to overcome the limits of existing techniques and guarantee an accurate analysis of the occlusion of patients. This method is based on the transillumination indices. Materials and methods: The method allows evaluating the extension of contact areas and contact points using ImageJ software, developed by NIH. Chips of the impression material at a different thickness (150, 100, 50 µm) have been considered. These chips are scanned. Dental occlusal registrations of 20 healthy patients were scanned and contacts points and areas have been measured at different thickness (150, 100, 50, <50, 0 µm). Results: The repeatability test demonstrated the validity of the method (technical error lower than 15%, except the measurements at 0 µm). Conclusions: It is possible to assert that this method is a promising and valid alternative to common techniques. Thanks to its reproducibility and objectivity it is possible to evaluate the quantitative data it provides about occlusal areas and contacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]