A digital poll of dentists testing the accuracy of paper mark subjective interpretation.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to test subjective interpretation accuracy via digital polling of a large group of dentists to determine whether dentists can reliably interpret occlusal forces by visually assessing articulating paper markings.
METHODS: One hundred fifty-two dentists selected the most forceful occlusal contact in five occlusal-view photographs of articulating paper marks that were compared against T-Scan® relative occlusal levels of the same tooth contacts.
RESULTS: The mean correct response was a mere 13.13% correct (86.87% incorrect). Random chance was calculated at 16.7% correct. The cuspid contacts were the least often chosen as the most forceful contact. The Mann-Whitney U test found a significant difference between choosing the anterior teeth vs. posterior teeth. onclusions: Subjective interpretation is an inaccurate method for determining high force occlusal contacts. The reported low correct percentage fell below random chance, suggesting that dentists are unable to detect high occlusal force from looking at articulating paper marks.