Method for Measuring Dental Mobility and Displacement Force

This will be a descriptive study. The population will consist of 20 volunteers diagnosed with periodontitis in stages II, III, and IV and grades A, B, and C, meeting the following inclusion criteria: periodontal pockets ≥ 4 mm, anterior teeth (regions 13-23 and/or 33-43) with dental mobility (grades 1, 2, or 3) and periodontal attachment loss, aged 18 years or older.

Patient selection will initially be conducted through the electronic medical records of patients undergoing treatment at the Piracicaba Dental School - Unicamp clinic.

The research will be carried out at the Periodontology Clinic of the Piracicaba Dental School (FOP-Unicamp), and the participation of volunteers will occur during regular clinical appointments, under the responsibility of the masters student Larissa Alexandra Fatinanzi and supervision of Prof. Dr. Enílson Antônio Sallum.

The method for evaluating dental mobility will include the use of a custom-made mold tray (PET-G; Bio-Art Soluções Inteligentes) for each patient with adaptations for displacement readings, an adapted tensiometer (Morelli, Orthodontics), a dynamometer (Zeusan, Campinas), two mirror handles, an endodontic spacer with a stop, and a caliper (Mitutoyo, Illinois, USA). Initially, the participant will receive the Informed Consent Form (ICF), and upon acceptance, the creation of the mold tray will begin based on the plaster model. In the next step, periodontal parameters (PS, NIC, bone loss in mm and % bone loss), premature contacts, and occlusal interferences will be assessed, along with the OHIP-14 (Oral Health Impact Profile), followed by dental mobility assessment using the conventional method with subjective force (mirror handles). The subjective force will determine the tooth displacement in millimeters (mm), which will then be used to establish the necessary objective force (measured by the tensiometer/dynamometer) to achieve the same displacement. Mobility will be classified according to Lindhe and Nyman classification (1975).

The chosen and adapted instrument for this research is the Orthodontic Tensiometer (Morelli Orthodontics, Sorocaba/SP, Brazil), with the inclusion of the Dynamometer (Zeusan, Campinas/SP - Brazil) for comparison purposes. The force measurements are presented in gf (gram-force), ranging from 25gf to 250gf (tensiometer) and 12.5g to 300g. Both instruments in this study will allow for the objective assessment of the routinely used subjective force and its possible relationship with clinical levels of attachment, in order to understand the magnitude of the force needed to displace a dental element with periodontal disease. The dynamometer will serve as a comparison tool and to confirm the accuracy of the tensiometer.

For statistical analysis, the comparison between the two techniques will be applied within the same group of subjects. Each volunteer will serve as their own control, reducing inter-subject variability. Normal distribution will be tested using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Comparisons will be made using Students t-test.