Friction measurements by robotic aim under force control to assess the joint degeneration and the efficacy of some kind of treatments.

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It is generally accepted that occlusion failure must cause the degeneration of temporomandibular joints. Lubrication mechanism of joints can be disturbed because of lopsided contact position. The relationship between the level of occlusion failiure and the joint function has not been quantitatively clarified, yet. Porcine temporomandibular joints were used for the experiment. A system for measuring joint friction was designed using a robotic arm, a universal force sensor and a personal computer. Friction between the maxilla and the mandible was measured under the various conditions of occlusion. Additionally, the occlusion conditions were assessed by the distribution of contact pressure, which was measured by pressure sensitive films. The coefficient of friction increased from 0.04 to about 0.1 when the mandible moved to 3 mm external or internal position. In that case, high pressure area was concentrated to lateral side. As the results, it was found that lopsided occlusion of temporomandibular joints lowers the lubrication ability of articular cartilage with the rise in contact pressure.