Control of jaw closing forces: a comparison between natural tooth and osseointegrated implant.

The aim of this in vivo study was to compare the precision of control of jaw closing forces through implants versus natural teeth. Ten partially dentate subjects with fixed implant prostheses in their mandibles took part in the study. A force transducer was used to assess the ability of the subjects to follow pre-determined jaw closing cycles. The error in tracking the target increased as the force increased for both implant and tooth sites. Within the range of forces tested, there was no significant difference in the error between the implant and natural tooth sites.