ARTICULATORS

• Articulators :- Articulator is defined as a “mechanical device which

represents the temporomandibular joints and the jaw members to
which maxillary and mandibular casts may be attached to simulate
some or all mandibular movements” GPT 8.
Purpose of an Articulator
• To hold the maxillary and mandibular casts in a determined fixed
relationship.
• To simulate the jaw movements like opening and closing.
• To produce border movements (extreme lateral and protrusive
movements) and intraborder movements (within the border
movement) of the teeth similar to those in the mouth
 Weinberg's Classification (JPD 1963)
Sharry's Classification
• Arbitrary
Class I: Simple
• Positional
Class II: Hinge type
• Semiadjustable
Class III: Fixed guide type
• Fully adjustable
Class IV: Adjustable

Classification Based on JPD 2001

Thomas' Classification (JPD 1973) i. Reproduces condylar guidance
• Arbitrary ii. Reproduces condylar guidance and incisal guidance
• Positional iii. Reproduces condylar guidance, incisal guidance and
• Functional plane of occlusion
iv. Reproduces condylar guidance, incisal guidance,
plane of occlusion and cusp inclination
v. Reproduces condylar guidance, incisal guidance,
plane of occlusion, cuspal inclination and cusp angle
Rihani A in 1980 classified Articulators BASED ON THE
ADJUSTABILITY
• Three Types
– Non – Adjustable
– Semi – Adjustable
• Arcon
• Non-arcon
– Fully – Adjustable
 NON – ADJUSTABLE ARTICULATOR
• Can open and close in a fixed horizontal axis.
• Have a fixed condylar path along which the condylar ball
can be moved to simulate lateral and protrusive jaw
movements.
• The incisal pins ride on an inclined plate in a fixed
inclination.
• Can accept one or two of the following records: Face
bow, centric jaw relation or protrusive record.
• Class I articulator is a nonadjustable articulator
 SEMI ADJUSTABLE ARTICULATOR
• Have adjustable horizontal condylar paths, adjustable lateral
condylar path adjustable incisal guide table and adjustable inter
condylar distance.
• Can accept all three of the following records: Face bow, centric jaw
relation or protrusive record.

Bergstrom subclassified semiadjustable articulators into:

• Arcon articulators
• Nonarcon articulators
 ARCON Type
• The term “Arcon” was derived by Bergstrom from the words Ar- Articulator & Con – Condyle
• This articulator resembles the TMJ.
• The Condylar Element / analogue / sphere attached to – Lower Member (Movable)
• The Condylar Guidance (Glenoid Fossa) attached to – Upper / Cranial Member (immovable)
• Examples
– Whipmix (intercondylar distance can be adjusted) , 8500 ( DR. Charles Stuart, 1963)
– Teledyne, Hanau Mate In non Arcon, the upper and lower
– Denar class IV, Panadent members are attached rigidly
– Ney (mechanically) to each other. These are
the most commonly used articulators.
Non-Arcon Type But Arcon articulators are superior over
non-arcon because of the ability to
• This articulator is the reverse of the TMJ visualize condylar movements.
• The Condylar Element / analogue / sphere àattached to – Upper Member (Movable)
• The Condylar Guidance (Glenoid Fossa) à attached to – Lower Member (immovable)
• Examples
– Gysi, Hanau H2 (interconylar distance is 110 mm)
– Trubyte articulator
– Dentatus, ARL, ARD,ARH,ARS
 FULLY ADJUSTABLE ARTICULATOR
• Capable of being adjusted to follow the mandibular movement in all direction.
• They have numerous adjustable readings which can be customized for each patient.
• They donot have a condylar guidance instead they have receptacles, in which acrylic dough
can be contoured to form a customized condylar guidance (condylar guidance is equivalent to
inclination of articular eminence) & incisal guidance (on an articulator incisal guidance equals
mechanical equivalent of horizontal and vertical overlap)
• Can accept the following five records:
– Face bow,
– centric jaw relation,
– protrusive,
– lateral records,
– intercondylar distance record.
• They are not commonly used due to their complexity.

• Examples
– Pantronic acticulator – Dener (1982)
– Gnathoscope - Charls Stuart
– Denar D 4A & D 5A - Niles Guichet, 1968
– Simulator (by Ernest Granger)
 BASED ON INSTRUMENT FUNCTION
• Ability to simulate the jaw movement
• At the international prosthodontic workshop on complete denture
occlusion at the University of Michigan in 1972, the articulators were
classified based on
– instrument capability,
– intent,
– recording procedure
– record acceptance
• Class I : Hinge Type
• Class II : Arbitrary – type A, type B, type C
• Class III : Average -type A, type B
• Class IV : Special – type A, type B
 CLASS I (Hinge Type)
• simple articulator (Simple holding
instruments) capable of accepting a single
static registration.
• Only Vertical motion possible.
• It doesn’t accepts facebow transfer and is
less accurate because distance between
teeth and axis of rotation is shorter than
the skull with resultant loss of accuracy.
• Use in cases where a tentative jaw
relation is done
• Example : Slab articulator, Hinge joint
articulator (J.B. GARIOT), Barn door
articulator, Gysi Simplex
 CLASS II (Arbitary)
• These articulator permits horizontal and vertical movements but they do not
orient the movement to TMJ via a face-bow transfer
• Type A
– Eccentric motion permitted is based on average or arbitrary values
– The condyles are on the lower member of articulator
– Based on Bonwill’s triangle
– Ex. Mean-Value articulator, Grittmann articulator based on Bonwill’s triangle, Gysi
simplex
• TYPE B
– Permit limited eccentric motion based on theory of arbitrary motion
– Spherical Theory Articulator – Fournet & Hageman articulators, Hall’s articulator –
– Conical Theory Articulator - Shofu, Handy II
• TYPE C
– Permit limited eccentric motion based on engraved records obtained from the patient
• Ex: House’s articulator (1920) , Gnathic Relator

Class I and Class II won’t accept face bow transfer

 CLASS III (Average)
• They permit horizontal and vertical motion and do accept face-bow transfer and protrusive jaw
record but these facility is limited
• They allow for joint orientation of the casts and may be arcon or nonarcon instruments
• fulfill the requirements for complete denture construction
Class III, TYPE A
• Accept static protrusive interocclusal records/registrations + Accepts a face-bow
transfer and they use equivalents for other types of motions.
• Ex
– Hanau H articulator ( RUDOLPH HANAU , 1923) - NON-ARCON,
– Hanau H2 articulator – NON ARCON,
– Bergstrom articulator (ARCON),
– Dentatus (1944, Sweden)
 Class III, TYPE B
• Accept a Static Lateral interocclusal records/ registration + protrusive record
+ face- bow transfer and they use equivalents for other types of motions
• Ex.

– Trubyte articulator - (GYSI, 1926) – NON ARCON

– Tripod articulator - STANSBERRY
– Ney articulator - (De Pietro , 1960) – ARCON
Most sophisticated articulator of
– Hanau (130-21) - (Richard Beu & James Janik .1964)
Hanau university series
– Tele Dyne articulator - (Richard Beu ,1975) – ARCON
– Pandent articulator - Robert Lee – ARCON
– Denar Mark II
– Whipmix (nasion used as third point of reference)
– Case Articulator Simulator
– TMJ Mechanical fossa Instrument
 CLASS IV (Special)
• accept three dimensional dynamic registration.
• capable of accurately reproducing the condylar pathway for each patient
• allow point (joint) orientation of the casts using Face Bow Transfer
• allow for orientation of the cast to the temporomandibular joints and replication of
all mandibular movements
• the instruments of choice for complete reconstructions

•
TYPE IV A
Accept three dimensional dynamic registration + utilise a face-bow transfer.
• Condylar pathways are formed by registration engraved by the patient → This path
is non - modifiable
• Ex. TMJ articulator – Kenneth Swanson (1965)
 TYPE IV B
• Accept three dimensional dynamic registration + utilise a face-bow
transfer.
• Condylar pathway can be selectively angled and customized / modified.
• The procedure utilise the pantographic tracing.
– Ex. Pantronic acticulator – Denar (1982) →it is electronic pantomograph &
provides computer printout of various numerical values of condylar measurements
– Gnathoscope (Stuart & Mc Collum)
– Simulator - Earnest Granger
 BASED ON THEORIES OF ARTICULATOR
Bonwill theory Articulators
• WGA Bonwill (1858)father of anatomic/balanced occlusion, Known as theory of
equilateral triangle which states that there was 4 inch distance between two
condyles and between each condyle and incisal point
• Teeth move in relation to each other as guided by condylar & incisal guidance
Conical Theory Articulators
• R.E. Hall (1918)
• Lower teeth move over the surface of the upper teeth as over the
surface of a cone generating an angle of 45 degree.
Spherical Theory Articulators
• G. S. Monsoon (1916): Spherical theory of occlusion
• Lower teeth move over the surface of the upper teeth as over a surface
of sphere with a diameter of 8inches with its center located in the
region of glabella.