Comparison of articulating paper markings and T Scan III recordings to evaluate occlusal force in normal and rehabilitated maxillofacial trauma patients.

BACKGROUND: Prosthodontic Rehabilitation of Treated Maxillofacial Trauma Cases by Evaluating Occlusal Force Distribution Using Computerized Occlusal Analysis.

METHOD: 30 patients were selected for the study. 15 normal and 15 treated trauma patients were subjected to T Scan analysis and evaluated for the occlusal force distribution.

RESULTS: The results take into consideration the two parameters. Firstly the largest articulating paper mark (photographed) and secondly the T scan of the same patient. Comparison was made between the largest articulating paper mark and highest force tooth in the quadrant using T Scan. The matches and no matches were then tabulated for statistical analysis assessing the frequency of the matches to the no matches.

CONCLUSION: The ultimate advantage of a T Scan III analysis is that it can detect the amount of force as well as location of the highest intensity contacts of a single tooth which is very specific.