Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to T Nokubi.
A new sectional partial denture utilizing lock mechanism (lock denture) has been developed. Utilizing the lock mechanism, two parts of sectional partial denture are locked together easily and tightly. A lock denture has been constructed for an upper removable partial denture, has been worn for over three months and has clinically been proven to obtain good function and esthetics.
It was examined whether the tannin-fluoride preparation (HY preparation), which might have a caries-reductive, plaque inhibiting and astringent action, could reduce the incidence of gingival inflammation around abutment teeth. Zinc oxide eugenol cement mixed with the HY preparation was packed in the cavity prepared in the resin base facing the abutment tooth. Gingival crevicular fluid (Periotron units:GCF), gingival index (GI), plaque index (PlI) and probing depth around the abutment teeth were measured over a 3 month period. The following results were obtained: 1. GCF decreased at month 1 and showed low values at months 2 and 3. 2. GI showed a decreasing tendency. 3. PlI and probing depth did not show obvious changes. These results indicate that the tannin-fluoride preparation reduces gingival inflammation around abutment teeth.
In this study the mechanisms controlling the biomechanical relationship between form and function in the temporomanidbular joints were investigated using two-dimensional finite element analysis and optimization theory. Factors investigated included morphology and occlusion, the latter being an important attribute of this system. Results indicate that change in frontal condyle head morphology was closely related to the occlusion condition.
The purpose of this study is to examine the bending profiles of composite resin coating cast clasps. The cobalt-chromium alloy cast clasps were made using tapered wax pattern. Silane coupling method (Silicoater MD, Kulzer Co.) was used to attach composite resin to metal surface. The breakage and the bending rigidity of composite resin coating clasps were evaluated. Results were as follows: 1) After the repeated bending test to the tips of clasp arm at 10,000 times in 0.25 mm deflection, neither crack on composite resin surface nor separation at resin/metal interface was observed in any specimen. 2) There was no significant difference in the bending rigidity of clasp arms between before and after composite resin coating. From these results, it was demonstrated that the composite resin coating cast clasp was available in clinical cases and coating with composite resin had little influence on the bending rigidity of clasp arms. Therefore, it was suggested that our clasp designing and fabricating system to control the bending rigidity of clasp arms could be applied to composite resin coating clasps.
In this paper, some problems in commercially available surveying systems were discussed, and a clinical technique for designing and fabricating clasps by using an improved 'Digital Surveyor' and a computer system were presented. This system has the advantages as follows: (1) morphological factors on abutment teeth could be measured and evaluated using the improved 'Digital Surveyor' and its accessories set, (2) clasps providing with proper mechanical properties according to various conditions in the mouth could be designed and fabricated precisely and easily. It became clear that conventional surveying methods involved empirical rules should be re-examined and replaced by the more rational surveying method like this system.
It is very important for design and construction of complete dentures to evaluate the condition of residual ridges of edentulous patients objectively and precisely. The authors have been developing a shape measurement system for residual ridges. In this study, the outline of the system is described and the accuracy of the system is evaluated. The system consists of a high precision laser displacement meter, a working table and its controller, and a personal computer. The working table, on which a plaster model is placed, can move until the end of the moving range at a speed of 0.7 mm/sec. The height of the plaster model was measured intermittently with a frequency of 7 points/sec. To determine the accuracy of this system, experimental plaster models, which simulated the simplified shape of residual ridge, were measured and analyzed. The measurement error was 2.5%, which seemed to be highly accurate. The accuracy of the measurement decreased with the darkness of the color of the plaster model.
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of heat treatment and soldering on the change of shape and mechanical properties of cobalt-chromium-nickel alloy wrought wire clasps. The change of distance between the tips of the clasp arm was measured and mechanical properties were examined using the bending test. The following results were obtained. 1) By heat treatment at 500-700 degrees C for 10 minutes, bending rigidity and deflection at the proportional limit of the clasp arm increased significantly (p < 0.01), while permanent deformation after the bending test decreased considerably (p < 0.01). Concerning the deformation of clasp arms by heating, the distance between clasp tips increased remarkably above 500 degrees C (p < 0.01). 2) These mechanical properties of clasp arms were improved both by electric resistance soldering with silver solder and by heat treatment at 500 degrees C for 10 minutes after soldering. From these results, it was concluded that electric resistance soldering and adequate heat treatment were very effective to improve the mechanical properties of the clasp arm, especially to increase the deflection at the proportional limit and reduce the permanent deformation.
The purpose of this study is to examine the fatigue profiles of wrought wire clasps during the clinical use. Cobalt-chromium-nickel alloy wires were bent into circular beams, which dimensions and fabrication methods were similar to the clinical cases. Deflections of 0.5 mm in a normal direction were applied 10,000 times to the tips of clasp arm and permanent deformations were measured. The following results were obtained. 1) The clasp arms with larger cross sectional diameter, shorter length and smaller radius of curvature showed larger amounts of permanent deformation. 2) The amounts of permanent deformation of the clasp arm remarkably decreased by electric resistance soldering and decreased further more by heat treatment at 500 degrees C for 10 minutes after soldering regardless of the number of deflection. From the results of this study, it was concluded that dimensional factors and heat treatment influenced the permanent deformation of the wrought wire clasps remarkably. Therefore, considering these factors, wrought wire clasps could be designed to reduce permanent deformation.
In selecting and arranging anterior artificial teeth for edentulous patients, it is necessary to consider their sex, personality, age and other factors. The relation of upper and lower lip lines to incisal edge has been one of the standards for the selection and the arrangement of anterior artificial teeth. The purpose of this report was to establish and to evaluate decision bases for the selection and arrangement. We recorded and measured the exposure rate of anterior natural teeth (48 men, 46 women) during function, such as smile, pronunciation, by means of the image analysis. Following results were obtained. 1. As the age of patients increased, upper anterior teeth appeared less than lower's. 2. Differences in exposure ratio between upper and lower teeth were found more remarkable in smiling rather than in pronunciation.
It was examined, in this study, whether the tannin-fluoride preparation (HY preparation), which might have a caries reductive, plaque inhibiting and astringent action, could reduce the incidence of gingival inflammation around abutment teeth for removable partial dentures. Zinc oxide eugenol cement mixed with HY preparation filled in the cavity prepared in the resin base facing the abutment tooth. Crevicular fluid (Periotron unit: GCF), gingival index (GI), plaque index (PII), probing depth and caries activity around the abutment tooth were measured during 12 months. The following results were obtained: 1. GCF decreased at 1 month later and showed low values at 2, 3, 6 and 12 months. 2. The percentage of low GI value showed an increasing tendency during the experimental period. 3. There was slight variation in PII and probing depth during the experimental period. 4. Caries activity showed a decreasing tendency. These results indicate that the tannin-fluoride preparation reduces not only caries activity but also gingival inflammation around abutment tooth.
The joining procedure for uniting metal structures is very important in the construction of removable partial dentures. However, it has several restricted problems in joining wrought wire clasps to rests or major connectors. For example, the base metal wires made of chromium-cobalt alloy are subject to changes in their mechanical properties caused by heating, and damage to acrylic resin materials (denture base and artificial teeth) occurs in the repair of removable partial dentures by using the torch soldering method. In this paper, in order to resolve these problems, an electric resistance welding machine was applied to attach wrought wire components to a removable partial denture framework. This welding machine was used to attach metal structures temporarily to each other, and to solder the welded joint with hard solder. Consequently, some problems of the conventional torch soldering method were improved by using the electric resistance welding and soldering methods. It was suggested that the clinical application of the electric welding and soldering methods was very useful in the construction of removable partial dentures.
The joining procedure for uniting metal structures is very important in the dental clinic, and various kinds of metal joining methods have been performed for clinical application. The conventional torch soldering method using a blow torch has been generally adopted. However, it has several clinical problems, especially in the construction of removable partial dentures. The base metal wires made of a chromium-cobalt alloy are subject to changes in their mechanical properties caused by heating, when wrought wire clasps are joined to rests or frameworks. In addition to the flexibility of wrought wire clasps, damage to acrylic resin denture bases and acrylic resin teeth occurs in the repair of removable partial dentures. In this paper, the electric resistance welding and soldering methods were applied to attach wrought wire components to a removable partial denture framework to resolve the problems of the torch soldering method. As a result, it is suggested that these electric resistance welding and soldering methods have the following advantages, as compared with the conventional torch soldering method. 1. When using this electric resistance welding method, it is possible to fix metals temporarily to each other more securely and strongly than the conventional temporary fixation methods using sticky wax or acrylic resin. 2. The electric resistance soldering method does not require any heat insulation or a partition as the torch soldering method does, because the soldered area is only heated partially. 3. In the case of soldering electrically wrought wire clasps to metal structures such as rests and connectors, there is no fear of of overheating a wide area of wires.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The rotational path of insertion differs substantially from the conventional path or perpendicular path of insertion. With a rotational path, one segment of the partial denture is seated first, then the remainder of it is rotated into position. One segment of this system is the rigid retentive component with a long occlusal rest and the other is the conventional clasp. This study examined the influence of mesio-distal distance of the edentulous space, the point of the displacing force, the undercut of rigid retentive component and the inclination of the abutment tooth on the retention of this system. The following results were obtained: 1) Retention of the denture was the lowest when a displacing force was applied at the conventional clasp part under the conditions of mesio-distal distances with edentulous spaces of 10, 20 and 30 mm, respectively. 3) Retention showed a tendency to decrease progressively as the proximal undercut on the rigid retentive component was changed to 2.0, 1.5, 1.0 and 0.5 mm, respectively. The values of the decreasing ratio of retentive forces were almost the same regardless of the mesio-distal distance of the edentulous space. 4) Retention of the denture was improved when a tilted tooth was used as an abutment tooth on the rigid retentive component side.
With the increase of elderly population, the number of patients who need removable prostheses increase rapidly. Denture wearers have different problems from non-denture wearers in terms of maintaining oral health. In this study, we attempted to find out specific difficulties of denture wearers with questionnaires regarding social life problems as well as oral hygiene problems. Our results indicated that most of the denture wearers considered the cleaning of denture was essential to maintain their oral health, though methods they employed showed a great deal of difference. Also denture wearers felt difficulties in cleaning their dentures when they went out.
Mouth guards are effective to prevent traumatic injury in maxillofacial region during sports activities. This study was designed to find out the influence of wearing mouth guards on occlusal force distribution using an occlusal force transducer system (T-Scan system). Occlusal forces were more evenly distributed when mouth guards were in place comparing with natural dentition and with wearing conventional full arch bite planes.
Soft mouth guards are effective to prevent traumatic injury in the maxillofacial region. In this study, we tried to find out the effect of soft mouth guards on the distribution and the magnitude of occlusal force using the T-Scan system. Ten adult subjects volunteered to exert maximum biting force wearing three different types of soft mouth guards. With the limitation of the T-scan system reported in our previous article, following results were obtained. 1) Occlusal forces were more evenly distributed with soft mouth guards than without them. 2) Softer mouth guards were more effective for occlusal force distribution. 3) Since occlusal relationship between mouth guards and mandibular arch could alter the distribution pattern a great deal, occlusion of mouth guards should be examined more carefully.
Mouth guards are effective to prevent traumatic injury in maxillofacial region during sports activities. This study was conducted to investigate the influence of wearing mouth guards on occlusal force distribution with the T-scan system. With comparison to the value of average occlusal force level per occlusal point (OFL) on natural dentition and wearing conventional full arch bite plane, following results were obtained. 1) Difference of OFL within the same dental arch became smaller when mouth guards were on. 2) Statistically significant difference in OFL was not found between two mouth guards with different hardness. 3) During three seconds clenching, OFL in posterior region changed great deal at the initiation but stayed at about the same level after that.
The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of the insertion of bite plane on masticatory muscle activity during tapping movement, and find out useful parameters for examination and diagnosis of stomatognathic dysfunction. The subjects in this study were twenty normal subjects with intact dentition and no signs of mandibular dysfunction as the control group, and twelve subjects with unilateral temporomandibular joint pain during jaw opening or closing movement as the patient group. Electromyographic activity in the bilateral anterior temporal and masseter muscles and mandibular movement using the Mandibular Kinesiograph were recorded simultaneously during tapping movement. The usefulness of the 61 items used in this study was evaluated. The results were summarized as follows: 1. In the patient group, a significant correlation between the jaw opening degree during tapping movement and the maximal jaw opening one without pain was recognized. 2. The total muscle activity in the patient group decreased significantly by the insertion of the bite plane. 3. Many subjects of the patient group showed a significant difference between the right and left activity of each muscle. 4. A significant difference between the two groups was found in the duration of muscle activity before and after Silent period, those coefficients of variation and the difference between those durations of the right and left muscle activity. This study suggests that the above factors are very useful parameters for examination and diagnosis of temporomandibular joint dysfunction.