Articulator may be defined as a mechanical device that represents the temporomandibular joints and jaw members to which maxillary and mandibular casts may be attached to simulate jaw movements. This presentation sheds light on the various articulators developed and used since ages, various classifications of articulators, and the selection of articulators depending upon the type of restoration to be planned. The two most commonly used articulators, viz., the mean value articulator and the Hanau widevue articululator are discussed in detail.

1. ARTICULATORS

2. Articulator

3. Slab articulator
Barn Door Hinge
articulator;
Adaptable Barn
Door Hinge;
JB Gariot’s first
mechanical
articulator;
Bonwill articulators
Gysi simplex;
Hall anatomic
articulator;
Bergstorm
articulator;
House articulator;
Hanau articulator
FROM 1700
To 1800:
FROM 1801To
1900:
FROM 1901TO 1950:
Ref: JainAR. Articulators through theYears Revisited: From 1700 to 1900—Part I.World J Dent 2015;6(4):222-225.
HISTORY and EVOLUTION:

4. SLAB ARTICULATOR:
• Plaster articulator by Philips Pfaff in
1756.
• A plaster extension on the distal
portion of the mandibular cast was
grooved to serve as a guide for
extension of the maxillary cast
• The extended casts together
constituted the First articulator,
known as the Slab articulator.
BARN DOOR AND ADAPTABLE BARN DOOR
HINGE ARTICULARTOR:
• Consisted of heavy duty hinge bending
each arm 90° to form L shaped upper and
lower members.
• Opening and closing only in a hinge
movement.
• Has an anterior vertical stop, which is
usually a machine bolt.
• Adaptable barn door hinge is also known as
the Dayton Dunbar Campbell instrument.
JB GARIOT’S FIRST MECHANICAL ARTICULATOR
• In 1805, JB Gariot described
first mechanical hinge
articulator.
• It consists of a simple hinge,
with a set screw in the
posterior against a metal
plate, to serve as a vertical
stop.
GYSI SIMPLEX ARTICULATOR:
• Introduced by Alfred Gysi in 1914.
• Condylar guidance is fixed at 33°.
• Hence it was introduced as a mean
value articulator.
• The incisal guide table was not
adjustable.

5. FUNCTIONS:

6. USES:

7. MINIMAL REQUIREMENTS:

10. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

11. ADVANTAGES:

13. LIMITATIONS:

14. CLASSIFICATION OF ARTICULATORS:
1) Based on theories of occlusion
2) Based on position of condylar elements
3) Based on ability to simulate jaw movements
4) Based on the adjustability of the articulator

15. 1) BASED ONTHEORIES OF OCCLUSION:
BONWILL’S EQUILATERALTHEORY
HALL’S CONICALTHEORY
MONSON’S SPHERICALTHEORY

16. BASED ONTHEORIES OF OCCLUSION:
1) BONWILLTHEORY ARTICULATORS:
• Known as theory of equilateral triangle.
• Bonwill’s articulator

17. • Theory of equilateral triangle:

18. 2) CONICALTHEORY ARTICULATORS:

19. RE Hall’s Experimental ConicalTheoryType Articulator

20. 3) SPHERICALTHEORY ARTICULATORS:

21. MAXILLOMANDIBULAR INSTRUMENT

22. DISADVANTAGES OF ARTICULATORS
BASED ONTHEORIES OF OCCLUSION:

23. 2) Based on position of condylar elements:
• Ar-con term coined by Bergstrom.
• Ar: Articulator; Con: Condyle.
Condylar analogues: mandibular element
Condylar fossa/guidance: maxillary element
Condylar analogues: maxillary element
Condylar fossa/guidance: mandibular
element

25. 3) Based on ability to simulate jaw movements:
Class I
Class II
Class III
Class IV
II a II b II c
III a
IV b
IV a
III b

26. CLASS I:
Single static
registration
Vertical
movement
CLASS II:
Vertical
movement
Horizontal
movement
(protrusive
and lateral)
CLASS III:
 Vertical movement
 Horizontal
movement
(protrusive and
lateral)
 Facebow transfer
(But only part of
condylar-
movement
simulated)
CLASS IV:
 Vertical movement
 Horizontal
movement
(protrusive and
lateral)
 Facebow transfer
 Adjustable
intercondylar
distance

27. 3) Based on ability to simulate jaw movements:
•At the International ProsthodonticWorkshop on complete
denture occlusion at the University of Michigan in 1972.
•Based on instrument’s capability, intent, recording
procedure and record acceptance.
•Most widely used classification.

28. Class I (HingeType):

31. Class II (ArbitraryType):

32. • Type A:
unrelated
based on averages.

33. • Type B: arbitrary
theory of motion

34. • TYPE C:
engraved records
obtained from the
patient.

35. FUNCTIONAL METHOD: NEEDLE-HOUSE METHOD:

36. Three-dimensional diamond-
shaped tracings

37. Class III:
do accept facebow transfer.
• Do not allow
average or mechanical
equivalents whole or part of the condylar motion.

38. TYPE B:
• Accept both protrusive
and some lateral records
• Eg: Hanau Kinoscope,
Ney articulator,
Panadent.

39. HANAU ARTICULATOR DENTATUS ARTICULATOR

40. NEY ARTICULATOR PANADENT ARTICULATOR

41. CLASS IV:
• Arcon type with adjustable intercondylar distance.

42. engraved by patient
(Stereographic recording)
TYPE IV A TYPE IV B
• Condylar pathways are
obtained using
3 dimensional tracings
(Pantographic
recordings)

43. TYPE IV A:
Stereographic record.
• Eg:TMJ articulator given by Kenneth Swanson in 1965.
Needle House method.

46. TYPE IV B:
• Pantograph is the instrument
used to record in one or more
planes, paths of mandibular
movements and to provide
information on the
programming of an
articulator.
• Tracing is called Pantographic
tracing, or Pantogram.

50. 4) BASED ONTHE ADJUSTABILITY:
NON-
ADJUSTABLE
FULLY-
ADJUSTABLE
SEMI-
ADJUSTABLE
1) CENTRIC
RECORD
2) PROTRUSIVE
RECORD
1) CENTRIC RECORD
2) PROTRUSIVE
RECORD
3) FACE BOW
TRANSFER
1) CENTRIC RECORD
2) PROTRUSIVE RECORD
3) FACE BOWTRANSFER
4)LATERAL RECORDS
5) INTERCONDYLAR
DISTANCE RECORD
RihaniA. “Classification of Articulators”. J.Prosthet Dent 1980 ;
43:344-47

51. SELECTION OF ARTICULATORS:

53. Hobo S, Shillingburg HT Jr,Whitsett L D. Articulator selection for restorative dentistry. J
Prosthet Dent. 1976; 36:35-43.

54. Hobo S, Shillingburg HT Jr,Whitsett L D. Articulator selection for restorative
dentistry. J Prosthet Dent. 1976; 36:35-43.

55. MOST COMMONLY USED
ARTICULATORS:
MEANVALUE ARTICULATOR
HANAUWIDE-VUE
ARTICULATORS

56. MEANVALUE ARTICULATOR

57. MEANVALUE ARTICULATOR:

58. USES:

59. CLASSIFICATION OF ARTICULATOR:
1) Based on theories of occlusion
2) Based on position of condylar elements
3) Based on ability to simulate jaw movements
4) Based on the adjustability of the articulator
• BASED ON BONWILL’S
EQUILATERAL
TRIANGLETHEORY
• NON-ARCON
ARTICULATOR
• CLASS II TYPE A
ARTICULATOR
• NON-ADJUSTABLE
ARTICULATOR

60. COMPONENT PARTS:

61. COMPONENT PARTS:

62. UPPER MEMBER:

63. LOWER MEMBER:

64. INCISAL GUIDETABLE:
VERTICAL ROD OR INCISAL
PIN:

65. INCISAL GUIDE PIN:

66. CONDYLAR GUIDANCE:

67. SUPPORT ARM:
ORIENTATION ARM:

68. MOUNTING PROCEDURE:

69. MOUNTING PROCEDURE:

70. HANAUWIDE-VUE
ARTICULATORS

71. HANAUVIDE-VUE ARTICULATORS:

72. HANAU: MODEL 183 HANAU: MODEL 184

73. anatomically “correct”,
A
R
C
O
N

76. CONDYLAR GUIDANCE:

77. • The condylar track
protrusive
inclinations simulate
the patient’s superior wall
of the fossa.

79. progressive Bennett
angle and corresponds to
the medial wall of the
patient’s fossa.

81. an enclosed housing

91. • Two annular grooves, appear
on the Incisal Pin at 37 and 54
mm below the Frankfort
Horizontal Plane.
• These grooves form arbitrary
vertical landmarks for
alignment of the incisal edge
of the maxillary centrals
when making a Facebow
transfer.

92. • The 37 mm line is based in
part on the BonwilTriangle
and results in a generally
horizontal appearing plane
of occlusion.
• The 54 mm line forms an
average landmark for
alignment of the incisal
edge of the upper centrals
when making a Facebow
transfer.
“Anatomic Comparison to Arbitrary Reference Notch on
Hanau™ Articulators,” Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry,
December 1978,Volume 40, Number 6, Pages 676-681.

101. PROGRAMMING THE CONDYLAR
GUIDANCES

102. HORIZONTAL CONDYLAR GUIDANCE OR INCLINATION
USING PROTRUSSIVE INTEROCCLUSAL CHECK RECORDS:

104. LATERAL CONDYLAR
GUIDANCE
INCLINATION:

105. •PROGRAMMING INCISAL GUIDANCE:
a horizontal as well as lateral
adjustment.

106. ADJUSTMENTOF INCISALGUIDE:

108. FLAT ANTERIOR GUIDE:
for fabricating customized acrylic
anterior guide tables
Pin is reversed
spherical end in contact with the FlatTable.

109. • The spherical end of the Dual-End
Incisal Pin is lowered into contact with
the AnteriorTable
• The spherical end of Pin with
petroleum jelly is lubricated.
• (Place a 4" x 4" x approx. .0015" thick
polyvinyl sheet between the upper and
lower casts to resist abrasion of the
stone cusps in natural dentition)

113. approximately eight to ten minutes.

114. ARTICULATOR CARE AND
MAINTENANCE:

115. CLEANING:
• DO NOT

116. LUBRICATION:
a thin film of
sewing machine or high speed handpiece type oil
• A thin coating of petroleum jelly

117. STORAGE:

118. RECENT ADVANCES:
`SOFTWARE articulators`.

119. • PresentlyVirtualArticulator is supporting mechanical articulator
in better visualizing of the occlusion, in near future they replaces
mechanical articulators.

120. CONCLUSION:

121. (a) intended use, (b) availability of equipment, (c) patient's
occlusion, (d) skill of the technician, (e) skill of the operator, (f)
expense.

122. REFERENCES:
• Hobo S, Shillingburg HT Jr, Whitsett L D. Articulator selection
for restorative dentistry. J Prosthet Dent. 1976; 36:35-43.
• Hanau wide vue instruction manual.

123. THANKYOU!!