The tooth contact sound as an analogue of the "quality of occlusion".

This study investigated the relationship between the tooth contact sound and its wave pattern, and the interrelationships of the components of the wave pattern. The hypothesis that the tooth contact sound and features of its wave pattern are analogues of the quality of occlusion was also investigated. The sample consisted of 133 subjects. By means of a standardized technique, tooth contact sounds produced during habitual closure were recorded and used to produce wave patterns. Statistical tests were used to determine whether significant relationships existed between selected gnathosonic parameters and aspects of the quality of occlusion that had been assessed by clinical examination. The findings of this study lead to the following conclusions: The measures of wave pattern duration (ALPHDUR and TOTDUR) are significantly related to the amplitude of the wave pattern (or the loudness of the tooth contact sound). Thus, allowance should be made for variations in amplitude when considering the relationship between measures of wave pattern duration and other factors. The measurement of ALPHDUR is independent of the recording equipment used to produce the wave pattern. ALPHDUR may therefore be of use in the comparison of gnathosonic data that have been produced by different recording techniques. ALPHDUR is the wave pattern component that bears the strongest relationship to the categorized tooth contact sound. In some respects, three gnathosonic parameters (tooth contact sound category, ALPHDUR [ADJ], AND AMPL) might be considered to be analogous of the quality of occlusion. Of these, the subjectively assessed tooth contact sound would appear to have some practical application in routine dental practice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)