Association of Strong Premature Contacts and Tooth Mobility

When tooth contacts are not harmonious, the patient may feel anything ranging from discomfort, severe pain, and in some cases tooth mobility. Tooth mobility is also associated with periodontal disease. In order to analyse contacts, marking paper is currently being used as the standard method to analyse and adjust dental restorations in the mouth. An electronic device, T-Scan®, used to assess contacts, not only measures contacts but also the relative forces exerted. Objectives: This pilot study aimed to determine the association of strong premature contacts detected electronically using T-Scan®, comparing mobile and non-mobile teeth at initial clinical evaluations. Another aim was to determine reduction in tooth mobility by Periotest® after strong contact alleviation, with the assistance of T-Scan® Methods: Tooth mobility was evaluated at baseline, four, and eight weeks after initial assessment and occlusal contact alleviation. Tooth mobility was measured using the Periotest®. With the T-Scan®, a comparison analysis was made for premature contacts using Image J® software. Premature contacts were reduced and adjusted to force levels comparable to non-mobile teeth. Results: A significant difference in premature contact force using T-Scan® and colour index was present comparing mobile and non-mobile teeth in ten out of eleven patients. To date, nine patients have completed the eight week recall. In all nine, there was a reduction in tooth mobility compared to baseline Periotest® values. Conclusions: A force contact index using T-Scan® showed an association between strong occlusal contact and tooth mobility. Preliminary findings suggest that trauma from occlusion must not be disregarded as a differential diagnosis for a tooth exhibiting increased mobility. Additionally, the electronic device T-Scan® provides a useful clinical application in identifying and alleviating premature occlusal contacts.