Introduction. Determination of the correct vertical dimension of occlusion (VDO) for an edentulous patient is generally a difficult clinical step. This study was conducted to find an alternative, easier and more accurate method to avoid the measurement inaccuracies associated to the usual techniques; these can be influenced by the soft tissue depressibility and the misuse of Willis occlusometer. Materials and methods: An original study was performed in the Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. An original method was imagined to determine the vertical dimension of occlusion using an artisanal measuring device. Results and discussion: The instrument permits an easy visualisation of the measured values, which gives accuracy, without any external intervention.The device allows reading of the values at a certain distance from the patient, which allows him to maintain the relaxed position of the mandible. Conclusions: The original device offers a direct visualization of a vertical dimension of the rest value, corresponding to the rest position of the mandible, that is not altered by doctor’s intervention at the time of measurement.
Keywords:- artisanal device.
- complete denture
- total edentulism
- vertical dimension at rest