Introduction: The determination of physiologic rest position of the mandible to the maxillae is of paramount importance in almost all fields of dentistry. The stability of vertical dimension at rest has been controversial if the rest position of mandible remains constant throughout life or not. Despite of several studies on the rest position of the mandible and facial vertical dimension, certain fundamental disagreements remain unresolved. The present study aims to compare the vertical dimension at rest, before and after extraction and after rehabilitation with complete denture.
Material & methods: This study was conducted in a total of ten randomly selected patients, who had some natural teeth present with one or more opposing posterior teeth with vertical occlusal stops but were advised for extraction because of poor prognosis. Digital lateral cephalograms were done and measurements recorded at three stages: prior to extraction of remaining natural teeth, post extraction and after complete denture rehabilitation.
Results: Vertical dimension at rest was found to be greatest in post rehabilitation followed by pre-extraction than post extraction state. The differences in changes were found to be statistically significant.
Conclusion: Vertical dimension at rest shows a decrease following extraction of natural teeth, the occlusal stops, and an increase on rehabilitation. It can be stated that vertical dimension at rest is not stable position and varies following extraction of natural teeth and rehabilitation.
Keywords: Cephalograms; Complete denture; Vertical dimension at rest.