Computer-aided evaluation of occlusal load in complete dentures.

A computerized diagnostic system was tested for its capability to evaluate the occlusal equilibrium of complete dentures. Its electronic sensor foil was calibrated to intraorally compute a load index for the left and right sides of the denture. The index is calculated by the measured force and number of occlusal contacts. Perfect equilibrium is given by a ratio of load left-to-load right of 1:1. Centric occlusion of complete dentures was examined before and after remounting. A good correlation between load index and the occlusal relationship on the articulator could be observed. The system appears to be suitable for verifying the need for occlusal adjustment. However, improvements concerning the hardware and software are necessary.