Measurement of the Depth of Spee's Curve using Digital 3D Dental Models

摘要

Ferdinand Graf von Spee is credited with characterizing human occlusal curvature viewed in the sagittal plane [4]. This curvature was named after him and is called curve of Spee. This line lies on a cylinder that is tangent to the anterior border of the condyle, the occlusal surface of the second molar, and the incisal edges of the mandibular incisors. The curve of Spee located in the center of this cylinder in the midorbital plane so that it had a radius of 6.5 to 7.0 cm. However, clinically the distal marginal ridges of the posterior teeth in the arch and the incisal edges of the central incisors determine the curve of Spee [8]. This naturally occurring phenomenon has clinical importance in orthodontics and restorative dentistry [4].