Development of an evaluating system for stomatognathic function based on biomechanical analysis

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The aim of this research project was to develop an diagnostic system which evaluate the biomechanical condition of the temporomandibular joints using the three-dimensional finite element (3-D FE) model of each patient. Morphometric data of the mandibular bone, the lower dental arch were used to construct the 3-D FE model. Tensile force vectors of each muscles, which were estimated from the muscle form, muscle volulme and the electromyographic (EMG) activities during various types of tooth clenching, and bite force vectors on each occlusal contact area, which were simultaneously recorded with EMG,were input to the model. The bite force vectors were estimated from the magnitudes and the directions of the bite force. The former were recorded using pressure sensitive film, and the latter were measured using the newly developed device, which enables to measure a coordinate and a normal direction of each oculusal contact area in the dental cast using a laser displacement meter. This device showed to be reliable in measuring the normal direction of the occlusal contact area. The new device which enables to automatically detect the surface of the mandibular bone and the masticatory muscles from magnetic resonance (MR) images was also developed. The process of detecting the bone surface consisted of detecting the contour from serial images by active contour model and detecting the surface by active surface model. In this project, the surface of the cortical bone of the condyle was successfully detected from MR images. In this research project, all the methodological elements which were required to construct the diagnostic system were fully prepared.