Articulator and Facebow: Review of Literature and History of Articulators

Abstract

Articulators and facebows are the integral part of any branch of prosthodontics. We all have seen, the constant innovation, expansion and evolution of these two important instruments through the years. The core aim of this article is to bring in light, the way these instruments were used around more than five decades back till recent times as well as theories and principles related to their uses are also changing as the passes. This review has shown conclusions of many researchers on so many concepts like superiority of arcon articulator over non-arcon articulators, survey of their use in dental school/ colleges, various techniques of recording jaw movements like transographic, stereographic, axiographic, digital & more and importance of terminal hinge axis. Efforts were made and still going on to record the accurate jaw movements in order to make a prosthesis which functions harmoniously and also preserve the remaining tissues, which is a big aim of prosthodontics.

Computer Program for Digital Data Analysis of Facebow Records – Part І

“…Those that are widely applicable in the modern dental practice are the semi-adjustable and fully adjustable articulators. Irrespective of the articulator type, in or-der to perform the accurate reproduction of mandibular movements via the device we should register the individual parametric features of patient's masticatory apparatus, as sagittal condylar pathway, lateral condylar guidance, and horizontal hinge axis's position [1,6,7]. In order to register these parameters, we use diff erent types of facebows [20].…”