TERMINAL HINGE

MOVEMENT OF THE
MANDIBLE
Ulf Posselt
The Royal Dental School,Malmo,Sweden
Vol 86 num1 JPD
Reprinted from JPD 1957;7:787-97

 Terminal hinge movement is a typical

opening and closing movements with
the condyles remain in their most
posterior(superior) positions
Remarkably consultant
Reproducible

RELATION OF HINGE AXIS TO

CONDYLES-LITERARY REVIEW
Mccollum: Axis point fell within the
outlines of either condyle
Beyron and Good: Axis point of each
condyle was located within the
outline of the condyle but not in any
static relationship to any definite part
of condyle

AIM OF THE PRESENT

INVESTIGATION
The study was undertaken to further
elucidate the terminal hinge
movement upto 20mm of hinge
opening by checking the relation of
the axis point to the condyles and by
recording the shift of the
kinematically established hinge axis

MATERIALS AND METHODS

SUBJECTS
19 Male volunteers: Profile Roentgenogram
13 Male volunteers: Gnatho-thesiometer
AGE : 20 TO 29 YEARS
PROFILED ROENTGENOGRAMS were made in
(1) The most posterior contact position
(2) The most posterior position with the
hinge opening of about 20mm
(3) With maximal opening

TRACING OF THE PROFILE

ROENTGENOGRAM
X ray outline of the most important parts
of the skull, with the mandible in the most
posterior contact position, was traced onto
a transparent paper
Error of double contouring if occurred can
be eliminated by drawing and intermediate
line between the double contours
The accuracy of tracing method can be
assessed by the following method

the apparatus for

The apparatus for checking

tracings from
roentgenograms. The
degree of rotation
around the vertical axle
can be read from the scale
(a) on the base. Rotation
around the sagittal
axle (b) can be read from
the frontal scale at (c).


roentgenogram of

the
mandible. At 5

degrees
left rotation

around
the vertical

axis(above)

REPRODUCTION OF THE TERMINAL HINGE

MOVEMENT WITH A CARDBOARD PATTERN

GEOMETRICAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE HINGE

AXIS FROM PROFILE ROENTGENOGRAMS

AXIS POINT RECORDED BY MEANS OF A

KINEMATIC FACE BOW AND CHECKED BY
PROFILE ROENTGENOGRAMS

HINGE AXIS ESTABLISHED BY MEANS OF

KINEMATIC FACE BOW AND CHECKED BY
MEASUREMENTS IN THE GNATHOTHESIOMETER

RESULTS

 The median section of the terminal hinge axis lies

within the outline of condyles
The position slightly anterior to the mid point of
condyle was recorded two of the four cases in
which indicators had been attached to the axis
point
The standard deviation for sagittal shifts increases
with increase in opening but within the confines of
contour of condyles, so this suggests the terminal
hinge movement with the recorded extension of 50
to 20mm can be recorded as rotation around an
axis passing through condyles

DISCUSSION
The hinge opening as measured on the
roentgenograms corresponds to an angle of 15
degrees on the average( range: 12 to 18 degrees)
Although the experiments presented here suggest
that the mandible carries out its terminal hinge
movement around an axis passing through the
condyles, they do not per se imply that the axis
can be precisely recorded by means of a kinetic
hinge axis face bow , nor do they elucidate
problems concerning the imitation on the
instrument of the terminal hinge movement

SUMMARY
The terminal hinge movement was analysed
by means of the following methods:
(1) geometric constructions from profile
roentgenograms;
(2) axis points recorded by means of
kinematic face bow and checked by profile
roentgenograms; and
(3)hinge axis established by means of
kinematic face bow and checked by gnathothesiometeric measurements

 The results obtained were similar in

so far as they showed the axis of the
terminal hinge movement to pass
through both condyles or make only
minor shifts.
This is true for hinge openings of 15
upto 20mm

Thank you