Paper Example on Entrusting My Teeth to Doctor: Trust & Understanding

Abstract

Treatment with fixed orthodontic appliances resulting in differences in jaw rotation is a factor that affects the occlusal bite force, and the occlusal bite force before and after various orthodontic and surgical procedures has been reported to be different. The maximum occlusal bite force is a useful indicator that detects the functionality of the masticatory coordination, and we gain essential information to assess the stability and activity of the jaw muscles by measuring the bite force. Orthodontic treatment leads to a change in the patients' occlusion condition as improvement in the state of malocclusion occurs. Many factors are responsible for the variation of the occlusal bite force between the people.

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Therefore, an orthodontist needs to have a thorough knowledge of the patient's masticatory function. As stated, occlusal bite force is a crucial factor in determining the normal jaw function and activity; its measurement will be an aid during orthodontic treatment.

ABBREVIATIONS

Occlusal Bite Force (OBF)

Bite Force Gauge (BFG)

Repeated measures analysis of variance (rANOVA)

Maximum Voluntary Bite Force (MVBF)

INTRODUCTION

Orthodontics is said to be that branch of dentistry which takes into consideration the facial growth, dentition development as well as occlusion. It is also concerned with the prevention as well as the rectification of the occlusal anomalies.1 The primary aim of the orthodontic treatment is to ensure that the three main areas, like that of oral functions, aesthetics, as well as the general dental health of a person, can be improved. It can be therefore said that orthodontics help in the elimination of all the functional problems which could incline a patient towards the various aspects like TMD. It also facilitates the eruption as well as alignment of the teeth that are displaced or in some cases impacted, removal of any problems from displaced teeth and occlusion, improvement of the dental and facial features by means of aligning and levelling the teeth, correction of both the overjet and overbite so that a protective occlusion can be impacted and that all of this can take place in a soft tissue environment in a state of equilibrium.

The advantages of fixed orthodontic treatment include the reduction of the negative effect that the malocclusion has on both the dental as well as the psychosocial health of an individual.1 However, this treatment is not at all risk-free and may include aspects like decalcification, root resorption, gingival, and periodontal problems sometimes, there can also be a failure in achieving the ultimate goal of the treatment. Therefore, it is extremely important that treatment is not commenced until and unless there is a fair chance of the patient benefitting from it.

Out of the various indicators used to evaluate the overall functions of occlusion, Occlusal Bite Force (OBF) is said to be one of the biggest and the most important indicator out of them to help predict the masticatory performance. The two factors, which are the number as well as the size of the occlusal contacts, are said to be the primary factors that determine the masticatory function, which is seen in individuals with complete dentition.3 The overall nature of these occlusal contacts determines at least 10 to 20% of the variations in terms of the maximum bite forces of the different adults.

The Bite Force is that aspect that provides an indication about the state of the masticatory system, which is a product of the actions of the muscles of mastication, which are further improved by the craniomandibular biomechanics. The evaluation of the bite force of each individual is something that is used widely in Dentistry. This is done so that the mechanics of mastication can be understood in order to be able to assess the therapeutic effects of the different prosthetics devices and also so that proper reference values can be provided to studies that are undertaken on the mechanics of appliances. This method to check bite force is also done to diagnose the disturbances in the stomatognathic system. The bite force measure in an individual can be made by making use of an appropriate transducer that is placed between two teeth. This is said to be a direct method that is considered to the most convenient in case of assessing the overall submaximal force. Another option to this indirect method is that of an indirect evaluation which is undertaken in terms of the bite force. In this case, it is evaluated by taking into consideration the different physiologic variables which are known to be related in a functional manner to the force production in the mouth. The Electromyographic activity which takes place on the muscles of mastication can be understood by the proprioception on the muscular vectors.8

It is by using all of these ways that the data about the bite force can be obtained. There were also a number of investigations which showed a connection between the electric activity and measurement of the direct bite force, which is said to be at a submaximal level.

There are a number of different factors that have an influence upon the maximal occlusal bite force. Therefore, various studies have been able to find out a different variety of highest bite force values. This huge variation of the bite forces is contingent on a number of different aspects that relate to the anatomical and physiologic features of the subjects. In addition to all of these factors, accuracy, as well as the accuracy of the bite force, is often influenced by the method by which bite force is recorded.

A reduction in the maximum bite force is said to be associated with a malocclusion. 10-12 Children that have a unilateral posterior crossbite showed a reduced occlusal bite force. They also have a lesser amount of occlusal contacts as parallel to the children who have normal occlusions. There was a cross-sectional study that agreed to the fact that bite force could reduce right after commencing the unilateral crossbite treatment; however, they also increased after retention because of which the bite force levels could reach to that of the children with normal occlusion. It was then anticipated that the fluctuation wh...