Aspects Concerning Contact Stresses from a Dental Articulator Joint

Abstract

A dental articulator is a mechanical device, which simulates the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The articulator is important because it replicates the basic revolve action of the upper and lower mandibles, as well as translational motions. In the present paper, the stresses from an articulator TMJ modelled as a sphere into a spherical/cylindrical cavity are analyzed by two methods, first applying the Hertzian contact theory and secondly using a FEA simulation.