Oral Health | Clinical and Risk Asessment | Assessing the articulatory system

Assessing the articulatory system
Session overview
Description
This session describes the need for a systematic examination of the articulatory system and how to perform this examination. It also discusses how to decide on an appropriate method that will allow the results to be recorded in the clinical records.

Learning objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• identify the anatomy involved in the articulatory system
• outline the importance of examining the articulatory system
• perform a systematic examination of the articulatory system which will eventually enable you to diagnose temporomandibular joint disorder

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should have a:

• basic knowledge of the anatomy of the joints and muscles of mastication

A system is a collection of interrelated or interdependent parts. It is worth remembering that a machine is a system which is not alive. We, as clinicians, deal with living systems which demonstrate an adaptive capability - because of our patients’ adaptive capability we avoid adherence to a rigid set of rules when making decisions about what sort of treatment our patients need. Treating our patients in a 'mechanical' way is inappropriate.

There are 2 systems for dentists to consider – one is the masticatory system. Every qualified dentist knows just about everything there is to know about the first 2 parts of the masticatory system – the teeth and the periodontia. The third part of the masticatory system, however, often causes confusion. This third part of the masticatory system is, itself, another system – the articulatory system.

In this session, we will describe the articulatory system and how to carry out a full assessment of this system on a patient. We will also look at how the results of this assessment can be recorded in a clear and unambiguous manner.