A STUDY ON THE DETERMINATION OF THE NEUTRAL ZONE AT THE HABITUAL OPENING AND CLOSING MANDIBULAR MOVEMENTS

하악의 습관적 개폐구 운동시 중립대 결정에 관한 연구

It would be of importance to determine the neutral Tone by a resultant axis of relation on relation to the mandible in understanding the biomechanics of the mandibular movement. In this study, the neutral zone at the habitual opening and closing mandibular movements is the shape of the paths described by a minimum moving point occured as an average center of the determined instantaneous centers of rotation. Twenty, aged $23{\sim}25$, male dental students without Temporomandibular disorders and with normal occlusion clinically were selected for the study. The habitual opening and closing mandibular movements were recorded by the Gnathorecouder and analyzed by the computer program of a planer rigid body model and the determined method of a minimum moving point. The results obtained from this study were as follows. 1. The minimum moving points were placed in the body of the mandible except two subjects. 2. The mean of maximum displacements of a minimum moving point was $0.62{\pm}0.08cm$ on X-axis and $0.73{\pm}0.16cm$ on y-axis. 3. The mean of maximum displacements of a minimum moving point was $3.39{\pm}0.62cm$ 4. The position and shape of the neutral zone were determined by the position, displacements, and moving distances of a minimum moving point.