Determinación de la Dimensión Vertical Oclusal en desdentados totales: comparación de métodos convencionales con el craneómetro de Knebelman

objective: the purpose of this investigation was to compare the ovd obtained with the conventional methods and the one that is obtained with the knebelman craniometric system in the same patient. methods: the ovd considered as "conventional" was the one obtained with the patient using his/her dental prosthesis in maximum intercuspidation. this study was made using a sample of 45 edentulous and partially edentulous subjects, all treated with full removable denture and rpd in "odontologia integral del adulto i & ii". the results were analyzed using pair comparison system for the different ovd obtained with both methods (all expressed in millimeters). results: significant differences were found between both methods. the chi-square test to analyze de influence in the ovd when one or more references are used, didn′t show any significant differences. the average discrepancy between the two methods was 2.93 mm, which is considered as not clinically significant. conclusion: in this context the knebelman craneometer can be considered as an important instrument to simplify the determination of the ovd in edentulous patients.