A SYSTEM TO MONITOR MANDIBULAR MOVEMENTS IN REAL TIME

A SYSTEM WILL BE DEVELOPED TO EFFICIENTLY AND ACCURATELY MONITOR MOVEMENTS OF THE HUMAN MANDIBLE. THE SYSTEM WILL CONSIST OF A PERSONAL COMPUTER (PC)-BASED DATA ACQUISITION AND ANALYSIS UNIT, A NONRESTRAINING EXTRA-ORAL HARNESS TO WHICH IS ATTACHED A SET OF LIGHT EMITTING DIODES (LEDS), ANDTWO SOLID-STATE DETECTORS TO TRACK THE LEDS IN SPACE. RIGOROUS PHOTOGRAMMETRIC SOFTWARE WILL BE DEVELOPED TO COMPUTE THE LED POSITIONS IN THREE DIMENSIONS AND TO COMPUTETHE ENVELOPES OF MOTION OF DESIRED POINTS ON THE MANDIBLE, INCLUDING THE CONDYLE CENTERS. WITH THREE LEDS MOUNTED ON THE MANDIBULAR PORTION OF THE HARNESS AND THREE MOUNTED ON THE CRANIAL PORTION, THE RELATIVE POSITION AND ORIENTATION OF THE MANDIBLE WITH RESPECT TO THE CRANIUM CAN BE DETERMINED AT RATES EXCEEDING 30 TIMES PER SECOND. THE SYSTEM WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF RECENT ADVANCES IN SOLID-STATEDETECTOR TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE SUCH HIGH DATA RATES POSSIBLE ATMODERATE COST. IT WILL BE FREE OF THE CONSTRAINTS POSED BY OLDER MECHANICAL AND ELECTROMAGNETIC SYSTEMS. SUCH A SYSTEMWOULD FIND IMMEDIATE APPLICATION IN SEVERAL AREAS OF DENTAL PRACTICE. IT COULD BE USED TO MEASURE THE CHANGES IN PHYSICAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER JAWS DURING THE PROCESSES OF SPEECH AND MASTICATION. BECAUSE A DETAILED MATHEMATICAL RECORD OF THE FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENTS WILL BE STORED, THE SYSTEM COULD BE USED TO DETERMINE FUNCTIONAL CHANGE AFTER DENTAL RESTORATION, TREATMENT OF TMJDISFUNCTION, ORTHOGNATHIC SURGERY, OR ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT.