TEETHAN IS AN INNOVATIVE INSTRUMENT FOR THE FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE DENTAL OCCLUSION THAT ALLOWS THE ASSESSMENT OF THE ACTIVITY OF THE MAIN MASTICATORY MUSCLES: THE FRONT TEMPORAL AND THE MASSETER.
OCCLUSAL TEST
STATIC
To measure the balance of the dental occlusion, the patient must do two clenches of 5 seconds each, the first with the salivary rollers, the second without. The test ends after the two clenches and the easy-to-read report is generated. the test can be repeated in a few minutes every time. The exam provides 5 main indices useful for the analysis of the occlusal condition and the related normal range is available for each index:
Percentage overlap coefficient - POC
Provided for each muscle couple, it identifies the overall activity of temporals and masseters by specifying the side of the muscle that prevails within the couple. It therefore allows an overall evaluation of the muscles activity and to understand the muscle that works the most in the couple.
Barycenter- BAR
It compares temporal activity with masseter activity by revealing whether the masseter muscles or temporals prevail. Physiologically, a posterior barycenter is preferred, where the masseters prevail over temporals.
Torsion - TORS
It evaluates the cross activity of the two pairs of muscles, revealing the torsional attitude of the jaw on the horizontal plane.
Muscular work - IMPACT
It evaluates the intensity of muscle work of the analyzed muscles, providing a parameter strictly related to the strength of the bite. A very high work is an index of a clenching patient, a very low one reveals the presence of nociceptive pain. Knowing the extent of muscle work is also particularly interesting to identify the correct vertical size of the patient.
Asymmetry - ASIM
It compares the activity of the muscles of the right side with the muscles of the left side indicating the possible asymmetry and allowing an identification of the dominant side on the patient’s occlusal plane.
CHEWING TEST
DYNAMIC
The exam allows an evaluation of the neuromuscular coordination in a dynamic condition, i.e. during the chewing act. The test involves two tests of 15 seconds each, performed by chewing a chewing-gum, involving first the right side and then the left side of the mouth. The following indices are considered from the analysis of the tests:
Global symmetry index - SMI
It compares the neuromuscular coordination in the two tests. The optimal value is 100%, the further we move away from the ideal value, the greater the chewing disorder.
Chewing frequency
It evaluates the number of chewing acts per second.
Work produced
The work produced by temporal and masseter muscles during the chewing cycles performed with the right side and then with the left side is evaluated. The work of the non-normalized involved side is also reported.
