. Prevention of xerostomia and stress is important to prolong healthy life expectancy and improve the quality of life. We aimed to investigate the effects of tongue rotation exercise for increasing salivary secretions and stabilizing salivary stress hormone levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Twenty four participants without subjective oral dryness were enrolled. The exercises comprised tongue rotation exercise and empty chewing. The salivary stress hormone level was measured using a Salivary Amylase Monitor. Unstimulated whole saliva volume and salivary amylase activity were measured before tongue rotation exercise or empty chewing and subsequently 5, 10, and 15 minutes after these exercises. Differences in the rates of change of unstimulated whole saliva volume and salivary amylase activity were analyzed by repeated measure analysis of variance. RESULTS. Statistically significant differences among the rates of change were not observed after empty chewing for unstimulated whole saliva volume and salivary amylase activity at the four measurement times. However, the rate of change of unstimulated whole saliva volume and salivary amylase activity were statistically significantly different among the four time points: before the tongue rotation exercise and 5, 10, and 15 minutes post-exercise (P<.05 and P<.01, respectively). CONCLUSION. Tongue rotation is effective in increasing saliva secretion,reducing stress, improving oral function, and extending healthy life expectancy.

PURPOSE: When performing an occlusal procedure, it is recommended that the patient should be sitting straight with the head in a natural position. An inappropriate mandibular position caused by an incorrect occlusal record registration or occlusal adjustment can result in damaged teeth and cause functional disorders in muscles and temporomandibular joints. The purpose of this study was to clarify the influence of horizontal cephalic rotation on mandibular position by investigating the three-dimensional positions of condylar and incisal points. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A three-dimensional jaw movement measurement device with six degrees of freedom (the WinJaw System) was used to measure condylar and incisal points. The subjects were asked to sit straight with the head in a natural position. The subjects were then instructed to rotate their head horizontally 0°, 10°, 20°, 30°, 40°, 50°and 60° in the right or left direction. RESULTS: The results indicated that horizontal cephalic rotation made the condyle on the rotating side shift forward, downward, and toward the inside, and the condyle on the counter rotating side shift backward, upward, and toward the outside. Significant differences in deviations were found for angles of rotation higher than 20°. The incisal point shifted in the forward and counterrotating directions, and significant differences were found for angles of rotation higher than 20°. CONCLUSION: The mandibular position was altered by horizontal cephalic rotations of more than 20°. It is essential to consider the possibility of deviation of the mandibular position during occlusal procedures.
Freedom ; Head ; Humans ; Jaw ; Muscles ; Occlusal Adjustment ; Temporomandibular Joint ; Tooth

PURPOSE: The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between the crown form of the upper central incisor and their labial inclination, overbite, and overjet. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Maxillary and mandibular casts of 169 healthy dentitions were subjected to 3D dental scanning, and analyzed using CAD software. The crown forms were divided into tapered, square, and ovoid based on the mesiodistal dimensions at 20% of the crown height to that at 40%. The degree of labial inclination of the upper central incisor was defined as the angle between the occlusal plane and the line connecting the incisal edge and tooth cervix. The incisal edges of the right upper and lower central incisor that in contact with lines parallel to the occlusal plane were used to determine the overbite and overjet. One-way ANOVA was performed to compare the labial inclination, overbite, and overjet among the crown forms. RESULTS: The crown forms were classified into three types; crown forms with a 20%/40% dimension ratio of 1.00±0.01 were defined as square, >1.01 as tapered, and <0.99 as ovoid. The labial inclination degree was the greatest in tapered and the least in square. Both overbite and overjet in tapered and ovoid were higher than those in square. CONCLUSION Upper central incisor crown forms were related to their labial inclination, overbite, and overjet. It was suggested that the labial inclination, overbite, and overjet should be taken into consideration for the prosthetic treatment or restoring the front teeth crowns.

PURPOSE: The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between the crown form of the upper central incisor and their labial inclination, overbite, and overjet. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Maxillary and mandibular casts of 169 healthy dentitions were subjected to 3D dental scanning, and analyzed using CAD software. The crown forms were divided into tapered, square, and ovoid based on the mesiodistal dimensions at 20% of the crown height to that at 40%. The degree of labial inclination of the upper central incisor was defined as the angle between the occlusal plane and the line connecting the incisal edge and tooth cervix. The incisal edges of the right upper and lower central incisor that in contact with lines parallel to the occlusal plane were used to determine the overbite and overjet. One-way ANOVA was performed to compare the labial inclination, overbite, and overjet among the crown forms. RESULTS: The crown forms were classified into three types; crown forms with a 20%/40% dimension ratio of 1.00±0.01 were defined as square, >1.01 as tapered, and <0.99 as ovoid. The labial inclination degree was the greatest in tapered and the least in square. Both overbite and overjet in tapered and ovoid were higher than those in square. CONCLUSION Upper central incisor crown forms were related to their labial inclination, overbite, and overjet. It was suggested that the labial inclination, overbite, and overjet should be taken into consideration for the prosthetic treatment or restoring the front teeth crowns.