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Investigating interocclusal perception in tactile teeth sensibility using symmetric and asymmetric analysis

Enkling, Norbert ; Nicolay, Claudia ; Bayer, Stefan ; Mericske-Stern, Regina ; Utz, Karl-Heinz

In: Clinical Oral Investigations, 2010, vol. 14, no. 6, p. 683-690

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    Title
    • Investigating interocclusal perception in tactile teeth sensibility using symmetric and asymmetric analysis
    Author
    • Enkling, Norbert. Department of Prosthodontics, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 7, CH-3010, Bern, Switzerland
    • Nicolay, Claudia. Institute for Medical Biometry, Informatics and Epidemiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
    • Bayer, Stefan. Department of Prosthodontics, Preclinical Education and Dental Material Science, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
    • Mericske-Stern, Regina. Department of Prosthodontics, University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 7, CH-3010, Bern, Switzerland
    • Utz, Karl-Heinz. Department of Prosthodontics, Preclinical Education and Dental Material Science, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:318773
    Summary
    The purpose of this clinical trial was to determine the active tactile sensibility of natural teeth and to obtain a statistical analysis method fitting a psychometric function through the observed data points. On 68 complete dentulous test persons (34 males, 34 females, mean age 45.9 ± 16.1years), one pair of healthy natural teeth each was tested: n = 24 anterior teeth and n = 44 posterior teeth. The computer-assisted, randomized measurement was done by having the subjects bite on thin copper foils of different thickness (5-200µm) inserted between the teeth. The threshold of active tactile sensibility was defined by the 50% value of correct answers. Additionally, the gradient of the sensibility curve and the support area (90-10% value) as a description of the shape of the sensibility curve were calculated. For modeling the sensibility curve, symmetric and asymmetric functions were used. The mean sensibility threshold was 14.2 ± 12.1µm. The older the subject, the higher the tactile threshold (r = 0.42, p = 0.0006). The support area was 41.8 ± 43.3µm. The higher the 50% threshold, the smaller the gradient of the curve and the larger the support area. The curves showing the active tactile sensibility of natural teeth demonstrate a tendency towards asymmetry, so that the active tactile sensibility of natural teeth can mathematically best be described by using the asymmetric Weibull function