A study of the variability of setting a fully adjustable gnathologic articulator to a pantographic tracing.

The purpose of this study was to determine the variability encountered in setting a fully adjustable articulator to a pantographic tracing produced by the same articulator. It was shown that adjustments for top wall, vertical axis, and rear wall were of the greatest magnitude. The practical significance of this investigation lies in the data base that it provides for further analysis of tracings produced in a similar manner. The results show an inherent system variability and that mechanical and operator errors were involved only in the actual setting of the instrument. This problem deserves further research into the exact causes of the variability and the effects that the various adjustments have upon one another. Continued efforts in this vein can only lead to further elucidation of the complexities involved in mandibular movement and capture of such movements by mechanical means.