The Kinematic Center: A Reference for Condylar Movements

Abstract

The kinematic center of the temporomandibular condyle is that condylar point which follows as much as possible the same movement path during different types of mandibular movements. In this study, the location of the kinematic center with respect to the palpated lateral pole of the condyle was investigated. Also, the lengths of the condylar movement path reconstructed by means of the kinematic center and the palpated condyle were compared. Mandibular movements were recorded with 6 degrees of freedom in 20 healthy subjects. A software procedure calculated the location of the kinematic center as that mandibular point for which the protrusive and opening movement path showed a minimal difference. For each subject, its average location was calculated on the basis of 16 pairs of protrusive and opening movements. The kinematic center was located posteriorly and superiorly with respect to the palpated condylar point (p < 0.0001). The standard deviation in the anterior-posterior coordinate of the average kinematic center was smaller than that in the superior-inferior coordinate (p < 0.0001). During opening, the path length of the kinematic center is longer than that of the palpated lateral pole of the condyle (p < 0.0001). In contrast to left-right differences found in the path lengths of the lateral pole of the condyle, no left-right differences were found for the kinematic center.

Keywords

mandible ,movements ,3-D

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bezuur JN , Hansson TL , Wilkinson TM (1989). The recognition of craniomandibular disorders-an evaluation of the most reliable signs and symptoms when screening for CMD . J Oral Rehabil 16:367-372.

Bosman AE (1974). Hinge axis determination of the mandible (dissertation). Leiden, The Netherlands: Stafleu & Tholen. Brewka RE (1981 ). Pantographic evaluation of cephalometric hinge axis. Am J Orthod 79:1-19.

Gibbs CH , Messerman T. , Reswick JB , Derda HJ (1971). Functional movements of the mandible. J Prosthet Dent 26:604-620.

Hobo S. , Mochizuki S. (1983). A kinematic investigation of mandibular border movement by means of an electronic measuring system. Part I: Development of the measuring system. J Prosthet Dent 50:368-373.

Kang DW , Mongini F. , Rossi F. , Tempia-Valenta G. , Pedotti A. (1993). A system for the study of jaw movements. Cranio 11:63-67. Kohno S. (1968). A study on condylar movements with reference to the mandibular movement in sagittal plane; Analysis of sagittal axis with the multiple electronic flush apparatus. J Jpn Prosthet Soc 12:350-380.

Kohno S. (1972). Analyse der Kondylenbewegung in der Sagittalebene . Dtsch Zahnärztl Z 27:739-743.

Kohno S. , Bando E. , Tanaka B. , Kuriyama M. , Tabata T. (1980). Mandibular movement and mandibular position in man. In: Jaw position and jaw movement. Kubota K , Nakamura Y , Schumacher G-H , editors. Berlin: Veb Verlag Volk und Gesundheit, pp. 24-36.

Lanshammar H. (1982). On precision limits for derivatives numerically calculated from noisy data. J Biomechan 15:459-470. Mauderli AP , Lundeen HC , Loughner B. (1988). Condylar movement recordings for analyzing TMJ derangements. J Craniomandib Disord 2:119-127.

McCollum BB (1960). The mandibular hinge axis and a method of locating it. J Prosthet Dent 10:428-435.

10.

Merlini L. , Palla S. (1988). The relationship between condylar rotation and anterior translation in healthy and clicking temporomandibular joints. Schweiz Monatsschr Zahnmed 98:1191-1199.

11.

Messerman T. (1967). A means for studying mandibular movements. J Prosthet Dent 17:36-43.

12.

Naeije M. , van der Weijden JJ , Megens Ccej (1995). OKAS-3D: An opto-electronic jaw movement analysis system with six degrees of freedom. Med Biol Eng & Comput (in press). Piehslinger E. , Celar AG , Celar RM , Slavicek R. (1991). Computerized axiography: principles and methods. Cranio 9:344-355.

13.

Piehslinger E. , Celar A. , Celar R. , Jager W. , Slavicek R. (1993). Reproducibility of the condylar reference position . J Orofac Pain 7:68-75.

14.

Proschel P. , Feng H. , Ohkawa S. , Ott R. , Hofmann M. (1993). Untersuchung zur Interpretation des Bewegungsverhaltens kondylarer Punkte. Dtsch Zahnärtztl Z 48:323-326.

15.

Rohrer FA , Palla S. , Engelke W. (1991). Condylar movements in clicking joints before and after arthrography. J Oral Rehabil 18:111-123.

16.

Siegler S. , Hayes R. , Nicolella D. , Fielding A. (1991). A technique to investigate the three-dimensional kinesiology of the human temporomandibular joint. J Prosthet Dent 65:833-839.