A survey on various jaw relation methods used for complete denture fabrication among private dental practitioners in Kanyakumari district - A questionnaire-based study

Abstract

Fabrication of complete denture includes various steps that include primary impression making, border moulding, final impression, jaw relation, teeth arrangement, try-in and denture insertion. Jaw relation is an essential step in complete denture construction. The techniques adopted varies from one practitioner to the other. The purpose of the study is to assess the most commonly used Jaw relation methods in Complete denture fabrication among private dental practitioners in Kanyakumari district, South Tamil Nadu. The study was conducted among 50 dental practitioners in Kanyakumari district, South India. This study was done with the help of a structured questionnaire consisting of 10 valid questions related to various techniques and the commonly used Jaw relation technique for the fabrication of complete denture. An appropriate statistical analysis was conducted. About 92% of the dental practitioners reported that they don't use face-bow to do an Orientation jaw relation. According to 89% of the dental practitioners, the vertical dimension at occlusion is best determined by the patient's perception of comfort. Swallowing method is the most commonly used method followed to establish Centric relation by 90% of the dentists. Jaw relation techniques adopted vary from one practitioner to other. 60% of the Dentists were confident in establishing accurate Jaw relations while some of the general practitioners (38%) looked forward to more training programmes on Jaw relation techniques for successful Complete denture fabrication while others (40%) believed that it was not very necessary.