Abstract

GUTIERREZ, Alejandra; SANCHEZ, Iván; UZCATEGUI, Gladys  and  FERMIN, Leonardo. Design and construction of a device to measure oclusal force. Rev. Fac. Ing. UCV [online]. 2013, vol.28, n.4, pp.73-78. ISSN 0798-4065.

Mandibular forces have been studied in the past five decades in order to understand some parafunctional habits (i.e. bruxism) and to develop cutting-edge treatments. Quantitative determinations of bite forces can help to evaluate effectiveness of treatments, such as prosthetic or implant. Two types of measurements can be made: static and dynamic, the former measures the maximum achievable occlusal force of an individual, while the latter measures the force evolution during one or more mastication cycles. The objective of this study is to develop a device to identify dental occlusal forces dynamically, discriminating each tooth type (molar, premolar, canine and incisor) in order to see how the actual contributions are received by each tooth in the plane occlusal. These measurements are taken by using a resilient force sensor, which can measure up to 1000N and is located between an anchorage to the jaw, which provides stability to the system, and a surface covering the sensor to protect tooth cusps. The coupling was made using dental impression materials and stainless steel discs to concentrate forces on the sensitive area of the sensor. The couplings are custom and disposable, thus ensuring a perfect fit to the patient under study. The device allows obtaining quantitative measurements that serve as input information for computer simulations of the mechanical response of dental implants.

Keywords : Bite forces; Force sensor; Dynamical measurements.

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