RECORDING OF MASTICATION ANGLES BY PLANAS’S LAWS
Figure 1. Masticatory angles on patients with the vertical masticatory stereotype
MATERIAL AND METHOD
The analysis of the masticatory function has
been performed on one group of 20 students
from the University School of Dentistry – Timisoara.
Given the large number of techniques used for
the determination of the functional masticatory
angles, we chose the one proposed by Planas,
because it is the most practical and simple.
Here are the steps of the clinical procedure:
The patients’ teeth are in close contact,
in maximal intercuspation. The dentist uses
tweezers in order to locate the reference point.
The reference point is situated on the junction
of the lower incisors medial line and the free
edge line of the upper incisors. This point will
be marked with a waterproof marker. From the
occlusal maximal intercuspation, the mandible
glides laterally left and right, (maintaining partial
teeth contact), until an edge to edge or canine
cusp to canine cusp (when the guidance is
antero-lateral, canine) position is obtained. The
trajectory of the reference point will be carefully
observed during lateropulsion, highlighting
any deviations from the trajectory caused by
interferences.
STOMA.EDUJ (2014) 1 (2)
The digital images of the masticatory angles,
relevant to pathological aspects, allow us to
determine the values of the angles on the
computer.
When differences between the two angle
values (left and right) appear, the patient will
prefer to masticate on the side where the value
of the angle is smaller.
RESULTS
After analysing the masticatory angles (left,
right) on a group of 40 students, we have
concluded:
Different values of the left and right angle