Dento-Skeletal Mandibular Reconstruction

The discovery of ancient mandibles exposes, sometimes, an incomplete or distorted morphology. From this comes the question of their restoration. The objective of this research is to provide assistance both for anthropologists and forensic scientists in the area of dento-skeletal mandibular reconstruction and for odontologists in terms of prosthetics. Solutions can be proposed from metric and angular measures by using geometric links connecting mandibular morphology and occlusal organization. The study material consists of two collections, proposed in DICOM data, from different periods, from the Natural History Museum of Vienna. - Wiesbach (WB): 211 available half-mandibles (150 years old) - Hainburg (HB): 58 available half-mandibles (4000 years old) Using these 3D data, the method is based on the positional search for three points of the same half-mandible, in a sagittal view, using the software Avizo ®: - The canine tip - The tip of the second mandibular molar distal buccal cusp - The most anterior point of the condylar head Finding these three points enables the calculation of the metric value of the curve of Spee as well as the angular value of the Balkwill angle. The results of the study provide, on average: - A curve of Spee with a radius of 79 ± 8 mm for Wiesbach and 81 ± 7 mm for Hainburg - A Balkwill angle with a measure of 22 ± 2 degrees for Wiesbach and 20 ± 2 degrees for Hainburg Combining these results allows us to consider a dento-skeletal mandibular reconstruction compatible from an anthropological and dento-prosthetic point of view despite the absence of one of these three components: mandibular condyle, posterior teeth or anterior teeth. Keywords: spee, balkwill, mandible, occlusal plane