The function of teeth

  • C. Gibbs &
  • H.C. Lundeen
USA: L&G price $179+p&p including DVD, see www.functionofteeth.com, pp 112 ISBN 0977151107 | ISBN: 0-977-15110-7

This book, published by the authors' own publishing company, presents an historical document which ties together the authors' jaw movement research, primarily undertaken in the 1970s and 1980s. The book is divided into six chapters with 200 photographs and diagrams over 112 pages and is written by a prosthodontist and an oral biologist, both eminent leaders in the field of occlusion and temporomandibular joint function. This book is accompanied by a two-hour DVD which is aimed at supplementing the material in the text.

The first chapter provides a comprehensive outline of the experimental instruments and investigations used in the authors' research with respect to recording mandibular movements.

The second chapter presents in detail recordings of the gnathic replicator system during guided and chewing movements of the mandible. This chapter includes a comparison of child and adult chewing patterns and ends with the comparison of chewing patterns of worn and unworn teeth.

The third chapter deals with the experimental investigation of condylar movements using the replicator devised by the research team.

Chapter four exemplifies experiments performed to attain pantograph recordings of individuals performing various mandibular movements and their effects.

Chapter five provides an account of the electromyographic studies performed by the research team to investigate the muscular forces generated during mastication and deglutition. The comparison of muscle responses generated during normal occlusion and malocclusion patterns is also covered in this chapter.

The concluding chapter highlights aspects of occlusal anatomy and the importance of occlusal surface reproduction for the attainment of harmonious occlusal and aesthetic results.

Whereas the diagrams in the book are clear and precise and the images on the DVD supplied can be used for lectures and teaching, the experimental methods described in the text and on the DVD are obsolete and lack critical appraisal. This book is clearly not aimed at the general dental practitioner and, in my opinion, benefits only those researchers and clinicians who have an active interest in the detailed study of the physiology of mandibular function related to occlusion.