Use of digital photography in the reconstruction of the occlusal plane orientation

Aim This study evaluated whether the occlusal plane measurementson digital photographs were reliable for the reconstructionof occlusal plane.Methods Forty-two subjects (25 female and 17 male subjects,aged 19 to 30 years) with all teeth and Angle Class I participated.Irreversible hydrocolloid impressions were made and the castswere poured in dental stone (ISO Type I) and finally mounted inthe S.A.M. 2 “P”, articulator (S.A.M. Praezisiontechnik, GmbH,Munich, Germany) by a quick mount face-bow transfer. Lateraldigital photographs were taken from a distance of 1.5 m in a naturalhead position with a subject in erect posture. A Fox plane wasplaced over the maxillary dental arch. A quick-mounting face-bowwas positioned. The angles between the articulator horizontalplane and the occlusal plane (AHP-OP), as well as those betweenthe face bow and the Fox plane (FB-FP) were measured, and thesignificance of the difference between the means was tested by thet-test (p<0.05).Results The mean value of AHP-OP angle was 8.56 ± 3.1 degreesand the mean value of FB-FP angle was 8.80 ± 4.2 degrees. Therewas no significant difference between the male and the female subjects(p<0.05). There was no significant difference between AHPOPand FB-FP angles (p<0.05).Conclusion Measurements of occlusal plane inclination fromdigital photographs could be helpful in future prosthodontic reconstructiontreatment.