ABSTRACT
Reaction times were employed to assess whether implants have longer detection times than natural teeth. A soft push was applied to an endosseous implant or to the corresponding natural tooth. Patients were asked for a speeded manual response upon the detection of the push. The temporal interval from the onset of the push to the onset of the manual response denoted the reaction time. This measure was only slightly longer for endosseous implants than for natural teeth, indicating that an implant's ability to detect rapid load changes is almost unimpaired.
Subject(s)
Dental Implantation, Endosseous , Dental Implants , Tooth/physiology , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Female , Humans , Male , Mechanoreceptors/physiology , Middle Aged , Proprioception , Reaction Time , Reproducibility of Results , Stress, MechanicalABSTRACT
Acute and chronic inner ear diseases involve many etiological factors, some as yet unknown. ENT-specific, orthopedic, hemorrheological, immunological and neurological disorders can affect the cochleovestibular system and induce hearing loss, vertigo and/ortinnitus. We performed a prospective study to analyze factors of the dentognathological system and of the temporomandibular joint that can influence acute and chronic inner ear dysfunctions. A total of 138 patients (49.3% female, 50.9% male) receiving clinical treatment for inner ear dysfunctions (12.3% chronic sensorineural hearing loss, 15.2% Ménière's disease, 52.2% sudden hearing loss, 13.8% isolated tinnitus, 6.5% recurrent hearing loss) underwent a prospective dental and gnathological examination. In particular, the patient's dental status and a functional investigation of the masticatory muscles and the temporomandibular joint were analyzed. In 20.3% patients the examination showed no pathology of the dentognathological system. In contrast, there were pathological findings in 110 patients (79.7%): in 43.5% a temporomandibular joint syndrome was diagnosed, in 29% parafunction of the occlusion, and in 35% a myopathy of the masticatory muscles. Additionally 32.6% patients showed dental disorders that required treatment; 11.65% had problems with dentures and 20.3% malpositioned wisdom teeth. In 16 patients the recommended dental treatment was followed up and improvement of otological symptoms was found in 56.6%. The present investigation shows that many patients with inner ear dysfunction suffer from dentognathological disorders. For a subgroup of patients there exists the possibility of improving otological symptoms by dental treatment. Therefore we recommend a dentognathological examination in patients with inner ear dysfunctions of unknown etiology.
Subject(s)
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/etiology , Hearing Loss, Sudden/etiology , Meniere Disease/etiology , Temporomandibular Joint Disorders/complications , Tinnitus/etiology , Adult , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Patient Care Team , Prospective Studies , Temporomandibular Joint Disorders/etiologyABSTRACT
The responses of 100 patients to load on Tübingen ceramic implants and natural teeth were analyzed to learn about the facets of qualitative mechanoperception. This approach revealed four factors of mechanoperception: dullness, intensity, localization, and persistence. Dullness, localization, and persistence were discriminated between teeth and implants. Intensity perception, however, depended on load only.
Subject(s)
Dental Implants , Proprioception , Tooth/physiology , Touch , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Dental Stress Analysis , Factor Analysis, Statistical , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Sensory Thresholds , Tooth, ArtificialABSTRACT
The psychophysical method of magnitude estimation was used to assess the sensitivity to applied force of natural teeth and Tübingen ceramic implants. It was shown that the power law holds for teeth and implants and that the averaged power functions were almost identical.
Subject(s)
Dental Implantation, Endosseous , Sensation , Tooth/physiology , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Sensory ThresholdsABSTRACT
Both reflex phenomena of the masticatory musculature (jaw-jerk-reflex and silent period) were studied in the masseter muscle under standardized reflexogenic conditions in terms of the strength of the stimulus and initial muscle tension. The measurements were carried out with loading forceps. The reflex time for the selfregulating reflex of the masseter for 11 subjects ranged from 7.4 to 9.4 ms; the latency time for the silent period, from 13.9 to 18.1 ms; the duration of the latency period, from 11 to 23 ms. On the basis of our data, no dependency could be established between these values and the strength of the stimulus or initial muscle tension. The silent period, in accordance with its neurophysiologic mode of development, was further differentiated into a monosynaptic, muscle-conditioned and a polysynaptic form. The experimental conception was analyzed critically in terms of its applicability for ongoing studies of the reflex activity of masticatory musculature.
Subject(s)
Masseter Muscle/physiology , Masticatory Muscles/physiology , Action Potentials , Humans , Muscle Contraction , Muscle Tonus , Reaction Time , ReflexABSTRACT
The ability to perceive pressure and contact was determined in 20 Tübingen immediate implants. Marked qualitative and quantitative improvement in mechanoreception was observed after an embedment period of serveral years. The mode of healing and the regeneration of nerves were discussed in terms of their significance for the long-term prognosis of an implant.
Subject(s)
Dental Implantation, Endosseous/standards , Mechanoreceptors/physiology , Touch , Humans , Prognosis , TimeABSTRACT
The integration of intra-osseous implants into the sensory sphere of the masticatory organ is still an unsolved problem. First observations suggest that the pressure perception of implants is smaller by up to several factors of ten compared with the sensitivity of natural teeth.
Subject(s)
Sensory Receptor Cells , Dental Implantation, Endosseous , Humans , Pressure , TouchSubject(s)
Periodontitis/physiopathology , Periodontium/physiology , Dental Stress Analysis , Humans , Pressoreceptors , TouchABSTRACT
The most important research findings in the field of neuro-physiology of the masticatory system are described, e.g. the clinico-neurological aspects of the swallowing reflex, cortical and subcortical control systems interfering with mastication and especially the two masticatory reflexes taking place at the level of the brain stem, the jaw-opening reflex and the jaw-jerk reflex. A short neuro-anatomic and electrophysiological description of the nucl. tractus mesencephalici, the nucl. supratrigeminalis and the dental pressosensors completes this survey. It concludes with a discussion of possible pathological reflex circles in the pathogenesis of myorthropathies.
