Robert Engelmeier

This second part of a four‐part series concerned with the development of nonanatomic denture occlusion follows nonanatomic tooth design from the time of Victor Sears’ first nonanatomic tooth patent through the mid‐1930s. Many of the designs featured in this series exhibit genius, while others are pure nonsense. Sears claimed that a new nonanatomic...

Part III of this four-part series about nonanatomic denture tooth development traces the evolution of this movement from the mid-1930s through the World War II era up to the early 1950s. By this time, the general preference for posterior denture occlusion had shifted from anatomic to nonanatomic teeth, and all the major denture tooth manufacturing...

This fourth and final part of a four‐part series concerned with the development of nonanatomic denture occlusion follows nonanatomic tooth design from the time of Victor Sears’ first nonanatomic tooth patent through the end of the 20th century. Part IV concentrates on nonanatomic teeth developed during the last five decades of the 20th century. Man...

Recent reports in the literature demonstrate the influence that digital dentistry is having on the preclinical training of dental students. However, none of these articles have discussed the use of PrepCheck (Sirona Dental Systems) in the evaluation of preparation taper in a preclinical environment. The present study compared the subjective grading...

Part I of this two-part article concentrates on the early 20th century origin of the nonanatomic concept of complete denture occlusion. It focuses on Dr. Victor Sears, who in 1922 made a courageous departure from convention when he introduced the design for his “Chewing Members.” Development of these teeth marked the birth of the School of Nonanato...

Purpose: To evaluate the marginal fit of CAD/CAM copings milled from hybrid ceramic (Vita Enamic) blocks and lithium disilicate (IPS e.max CAD) blocks, and to evaluate the effect of crystallization firing on the marginal fit of lithium disilicate copings. Materials and methods: A standardized metal die with a 1-mm-wide shoulder finish line was i...

This article is a historical review of the development of the lingualized occlusion concept over the past century. It focuses on the pioneers of lingualized occlusion and their designs rather than on techniques for achieving a lingualized complete denture occlusion.

This article is a historical overview of Dr. Alfred Gysi's contributions to the profession in the areas of denture tooth and articulator design. His understanding of occlusion and mandibular movement resulted in denture tooth designs and occlusal concepts still in widespread use.

This article is an historical overview of the Hanau Engineering Company from the time of Rudolph Hanau's death in 1930 to the present. It explores the development of many articulators intended both for removable and fixed prosthodontic restorations. The article is divided into the eras of the company's corporate history, and it reviews articulator...

Purpose: Previous studies considering retention of cast metal restorations to implant abutments incorporated some degree of frictional fit due to internal surface nodules and roughness of the restoration. In comparison, CAD/CAM restorations have minimal surface irregularities, possibly impacting retention. There is insufficient knowledge of retent...

This is the third article in a three-part series on the history of denture occlusal grinders. The first article reviewed the earliest attempts to "grind in" denture occlusion by hand manipulating simple articulators with special features to those more complex devices powered by hand cranks. The second article explored devices that were motor driven...

Lingualized occlusion represents an established method for the development of functional and esthetic complete denture articulation. Since its introduction, the lingualized technique has undergone many changes. This article provides an overview of the history and development of lingualized occlusion, and addresses common misconceptions associated w...

This article is a historical review of the last decade of Rudolph Hanau's life. It covers his introduction to dentistry and explores his prolific articulator designs and contributions to the prosthodontic literature.

At the dawn of the 20th century, all was not well with the practice of "plate prostheses." Removable prosthodontics had been degrading for several decades and was now generally in low esteem, even though there had been many significant advances. W. E. Walker had introduced adjustable condylar guides, George Snow, the facebow, and Carl Christensen,...

Purpose: Approximately 38% of removable partial denture (RPD) failures involve fracture at the alloy/acrylic interface. Autopolymerizing resin is commonly used to repair RPDs. Poor chemical bonding of repair acrylic to base metal alloys can lead to microleakage and failure of the bond. Therefore, ideal repair techniques should provide a strong, ad...

Poor mechanical and chemical bondings at the interface between a framework and denture base resin have been responsible for many removable partial denture failures. This study tested the force necessary to separate acrylic resin bases from test frameworks using different acrylic retention designs (smooth metal plate, metal plate with bead retention...

Eighty percent of all removable partial denture (RPD) frameworks are fabricated from cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr) alloys. The advantages of this material include low density and high modulus of elasticity, hardness, and strength. Hardness is of particular concern when related to excessive wear of natural teeth or restorative materials. The purpose of th...

Among the millions of edentulous Americans, a persistent minority have not been able to tolerate wearing dentures. Complicating factors may have precluded surgical intervention with grafts or dental implants to improve the physical and anatomic limitations of these unfortunate patients. A heat-cured polymer liner containing multiple small suction c...

Angled abutments are often used to restore dental implants placed in the anterior maxilla due to esthetic or spatial needs. The effect of abutment angulation on bone strain is unknown. The purpose of the current study was to measure and compare the strain distribution on the bone around an implant in the anterior maxilla using 2 different abutments...

Except for the occasional case report, there are no studies evaluating the success rate of osseointegrated dental implants in individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This study investigated the short-term clinical outcome of implant placement in a group of HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals who required complete den...

This clinical report describes a unique impression technique devised for fabrication of a full-body cast of conjoined twins. The authors describe how the cast was used by the medical team to plan the surgical flap design for effective abdominal wall closure during the 27-hour operation sequence that resulted in the twins' separation. The cast, in t...

The intention of this article is to introduce the reader to the Transograph from a historical perspective. The technical data presented are intended to help the reader understand the design of this unique instrument and how it was programmed, but will not provide the reader a thorough understanding of this philosophy. The article seeks neither to d...

This in vivo investigation compared the oral candidal population between heat-cured acrylic resin and nickel-chromium-beryllium alloy in maxillary complete dentures in HIV-infected patients. Split-palate maxillary complete dentures were fabricated for 19 HIV-infected patients: one-half of the palate was made in acrylic resin and the other half in n...

The primary purposes of this study were: (1) to describe the number and types of complications patients had before and after insertion of a removable prosthesis (i.e., denture) following radiation therapy to the head and neck and (2) to investigate whether the time between radiation therapy and denture insertion might contribute to those complicati...

Part III of this series of articles, like Part II, reviews the pioneering efforts in the 19th century to improve the quality of artificial teeth. The focus of this article, unlike that of Part II, is specifically modifications in the design of the occlusal anatomy of the 19th century denture teeth, along with the theories of mandibular movement tha...

Candida colonization in denture wearers, especially immunocompromised patients, can be disruptive to dental treatment and may be a barrier to patient health. The surface irregularities of acrylic resin are a factor in the entrapment of microorganisms. Consequently, controlling the spread of fungal infection in HIV-infected patients who wear removab...

The third and final installment of this series reviews noteworthy instruments that have not enjoyed the commercial success of those discussed in Parts I and II.J Prosthodont 2004;13:195-202. Copyright © 2004 by The American College of Prosthodontists.

Part II of this series on the history and development of the dental surveyor reviews ways in which the basic dental surveyor has been modified to improve its accuracy and versatility. .

The dental surveyor is an indispensable instrument capable of performing a number of prosthodontic procedures. Surprisingly, the technique of surveying casts as part of the treatment planning procedure did not emerge until early in the twentieth century. This article reviews the origins and early use of the dental surveyor. It includes features com...

Numerous articles emphasize the importance of passivity of implant-prosthetic component interfaces. Nonpassive interfaces can lead to bone loss, abutment fracture, and connecting screw breakage. The purpose of this study was to evaluate 3 postcasting techniques for the correction of non-passive fit between a cast bar superstructure and its interfac...

There are several dental complications associated with cocaine abuse, including adverse reactions to dental anesthetics, post-operative bleeding, and cellulitis, which can lead to necrosis of orbital, nasal, and palatal bones. Following is a report of the initial treatment rendered to a patient who had destroyed most of her hard palate over a ten-y...