Resilience test
The resilience test according to Gerber is an examination method in dentistry and orthodontics , which is supposed to detect functional disorders of the temporomandibular joints ( craniomandibular dysfunction ). According to Swiss dentist Albert Gerber , pain and joint damage can be caused by asymmetrical tooth closure, which causes one of the joints to either compress or distract with the mouth closed .
On the opposite side of the temporomandibular joint to be examined , a 0.3 mm thick tin foil strip is inserted in the area of the premolars , on the side to be examined a shimstock foil is inserted between the most distal molars . If the patient can no longer clamp the shimstock film (flexible plastic spacer film) between the teeth, the joint shows insufficient resilience and joint compression is suspected.
If, on the other hand, the patient can clamp the shimstock foil between the teeth with a tin foil strip placed three or more times on top of one another (up to 1.5 mm thick) on the opposite side, the joint is too resilient and joint distraction is suspected.
The test is simple and has been in use for a long time, but it is very controversial. While some authors see it as the standard practice, other reviews see it as of little use. Competing systems use electrical or photographic recording of mandibular movement.
Sources and individual references
- ↑ Gerber, A .: TMJ and tooth occlusion. Dtsch Zahnärztl Z 26, 119 (1971). PMID 5278940
- ↑ Thiele C: Review of the clinical relevance of the Gerber resilience test. Dissertation, FU Berlin 2009
- Thomas Weber: Memorix dentistry . Thieme-Verlag, 3rd edition 2009. ISBN 9783131143730
