WO2021049964A1

WO2021049964A1 - Method for measuring teeth mobility

Info

Publication number: WO2021049964A1
Application number: PCT/RO2020/000011
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nicoleta MORARIU
Original assignee: Morariu Nicoleta
Priority date: 2019-09-13
Filing date: 2020-08-31
Publication date: 2021-03-18
Also published as: RO134803A1; RO134803B1

Abstract

The method according to the invention consists in applying a constant force on the functional occlusal surface of the tooth, in several points, horizontally to the axis of the tooth, having as a result the measuring / identifying the displacement of the tooth under the action of the applied force and the identification of the maximal mobility point.

Description

METHOD FOR MEASURING TEETH MOBILITY

The present invention is used in the field of medicine, more precisely, in dentistry and periodontology, being useful in the prophylaxis and determination of the periodontal disease installation degree and for establishing the possible required treatment.

Currently, the well-known classical method for measuring tooth mobility uses a force applied to the external, vestibular face of the tooth, measuring the displacement degree of the tooth (see Fig. 1).

The applied force can be:

Manual - the pressure is applied with a probe, visually appreciating the movement; Mechanical - the pressure is vestibularly applied by using a Periotest device through which horizontal shocks are applied, electronically displaying the value of the tooth movement;

Laser wave - also vestibularly applied with Doppler Laser.

Also, it is known a device called Vibrometer that uses vibration. This device, although patented, has not been used and is not used in practice.

This classical method has the following disadvantages:

The measurement is not made on the points of maximum mobility of the tooth, which are the functional / parafunctional points. Usually, the vestibular face of the tooth has no mobility because the area loaded with forces is, in fact, the occlusal area of the tooth. Classical measurement, in this vestibular point, detects increases in mobility (pathology) in late stages, when the bone is already affected, and thus the measurement of mobility by the current classical method can be used only to establish a clear diagnosis, but not for prevention /treatment.

The object of the present invention is a new method (N.K. method) for measuring the mobility. The method according to the invention uses the same forces applied to the tooth for measurement, but in completely different points of contact. When the forces are applied on dental surfaces related to the occlusion, there are detected different mobilities of teeth, having values different from those measured by the classical method.

The method of measuring the mobility of the teeth according to the present invention is characterized by several steps, namely: applying a constant force, horizontally to the axis of the tooth, on the functional occlusal surface of the tooth, in several points; identifying and measuring the movement of the tooth under the action of said applied force; framing the dental mobility according to the measured displacement, according to the periodontal status and the existing indexes and detecting the point of maximum mobility (called NK) in order to perform the occlusal adjustment by the dentist.

In the following, it is given an embodiment example of the invention in connection with figures 1 to 6 which represent:

Fig. 1 - a longitudinal section, in the lateral view, of an incisive tooth, having forces applied according to the known state of the art;

Fig. 2 - a longitudinal section, in the lateral view, of a molar tooth, having forces applied according to the known state of the art;

Fig. 3 - occlusive view of an incisive tooth, having forces applied according to the invention;

Fig. 4 - occlusive view of a molar tooth, having forces applied according to the invention;

Fig. 5 - table with experimental results obtained according to the invention Fig. 6 - dental mobility table

It is to be understood that those set forth in the presented embodiment relate to a preferred example and that modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, this example should not be construed in any way as imposing limitations on the present invention.

Used abbreviations:

VM = vestibular-mesial VC = vestibular-central VD = vestibular-distal OM = oral-mesial OC = oral-central OD = oral-distal

KVM = vestibular-occlusal-mesial KVC = vestibular-occlusal-central KVD = vestibular-occlusal-distal KOM = oral-occlusal-mesial KOC = oral-occlusal-central KOD = oral-occlusal-distal

For mono-radicular teeth (incisive and canine teeth) it is measured, horizontally to the tooth axis, on the functional occlusal surface, in 6 points, the tooth movement when applying a constant force for each point, and it depends on the used technique. The technique is possible to be manual or with Periotest (see Fig. 3):

- 3 points - vestibular mesial (VM), vestibular central (VC), vestibular distal (VD).

- 3 points - oral mesial (OM), oral central (OC), oral distal (OD).

For pluri-radicular teeth (premolars, molars), the force is applied in 12 points, 3 vestibular, 3 occlusal vestibular, 3 occlusal oral and 3 oral (see Fig. 4):

- 3 points - vestibular mesial (VM), vestibular central (VC), vestibular distal (VD);

- 3 points - vestibular occlusal mesial (KVM), vestibular occlusal central (KVC), vestibular occlusal distal (KVD);

- 3 points - oral occlusal mesial (KOM), oral occlusal central (KOC), oral occlusal distal (KOD);

- 3 points - oral mesial (OM), oral central (OC), oral distal (OD).

The results of these measurements (the value of mobility) in these points are noted in the table (see Fig. 6), and represent, in fact, the assessment of the displacement of the tooth under the action of the constant applied force.

The classification of dental mobility, depending on the periodontal status and the measured displacement is done according to the existing indices:

INDEX GRACE and SMALES:

The value 0 - shows that there is no movement

The value 1 - shows that the horizontal displacement is less than 1 mmThe vValue 2

- shows that the horizontal displacement is greater than 1 mm but less than 2 mm The value 3 - shows that the horizontal displacement is greater than 2 mm, existing also vertical displacement

INDEX MILLER

The value 1 - shows that the horizontal displacement is less than 1 mm The value 2 - shows that the horizontal displacement is greater than 1 mm The value 3 - shows that the horizontal displacement is greater than 1 mm, existing also vertical displacement From the results obtained according to the periodontal status and the mobility indices, it is determined the point with maximum mobility, point named NK. This point is of particular importance because it represents the place where the tooth is wrongly loaded with forces, i.e. the point where the occlusal trauma is exerted.

According to the statistical studies performed by the inventor, the measurement method according to the invention is significantly different from the classical measurement, the values obtained being much different. There is always a point with maximum mobility called the NK Point, where the mobility has a higher value than the mobility measured by the classical method.

For mono-radicular teeth, the result of statistical tests showed that 4 out of 6 measurements, respectively the measurement on the surfaces VM, VC, VD, OC are totally different from the classical measurement. For 2 out of 6 surfaces, namely the surfaces OM and OD, the results obtained by the method according to the invention are approximately equal to those obtained by the classical measurement.

For pluri-radicular teeth, the results obtained by the method according to the invention on 11 of the 12 surfaces are totally different from the results obtained by the classical method.

On a single surface, the result obtained by the method according to the invention at the KVD point is identical to that of the classical method. The present invention has several advantages. Because the NK point represents an area with increased mobility due to the abnormal pathological functionality of the tooth, periodontal disease can be detected earlier and more accurately and, default tooth loss can be stopped before more severe mobility occurs. Only this severe mobility can be measured by the currently known classical method.

From a scientific point of view, dental mobility is the only common symptom, a factor that unites occlusion with periodontal disease. Thus, it is possible to exactly elucidate and decide, without ambiguity, the extent to which occlusion is an etiological factor that triggers the appearance of the periodontal disease. Through this early detection of periodontal disease, occlusal adjustment can be easily performed, because the exact point / surface with pathological function is highlighted and, consequently, the treatment is early and much more effective, radically changing the prognosis for the better. The measurement of mobility according to the invention can demonstrate that periodontal disease is caused by pathological occlusion (loading with functional forces), which has not been possible so far through any of the scientific research programs.

By using this new method of measuring dental mobility, it is easy to remove the cause that caused the mobility and to change the prognosis of the disease, being possible to be recovered the teeth with periodontal damage (avoiding extraction). It should also be emphasized that by loading with axial forces it can be done prophylaxis and prevention for the appearance of periodontal diseases on teeth but, especially, on dental implants. Dental implants are ankylosed in the bone and have mobility only in severe, extremely advanced forms of periimplantitis.

This observation can transform the paradigm that bacteria produce periimplantitis into that the dental occlusion which does not develop forces in the implant axis produces bone losses, often clinically unnoticed due to ankylosis of the implant thus leading to the implant loss.

Claims

1. Method of measuring tooth mobility, characterized by:

- applying a constant force on the functional occlusal surface of the tooth, in several points

- measuring / identifying the displacement of the tooth under the action of the applied force

- framing of dental mobility depending to the measured displacement, according to the periodontal status and the existing indexes

- detecting the point of maximum mobility in order the occlusal adjustment being performed by the dentist.

2. Method for measuring tooth mobility according to claim 1 , characterized in that for mono-radicular teeth the number of points in which the constant force is horizontally applied is 6, and for pluri-radicular teeth the number of points in which constant force is horizontally applied is 12.