Dental surveyor:

An instrument used in construction of removable partial denture to locate and

Delineate the contour and relative position of abutment teeth and associated

structures , also called parallometer.

Surveying:
Is the procedure of locating or delineating the contour and position of

abutment teeth and associated structures before designing RPD.

Survey line:
Is a line drawn on tooth or teeth by mean of dental surveyor for purpose of

determining the position of various parts of clasp.

Types of dental surveyor:

The most widely used surveyors are Ney and Jelenko, the Ney surveyor is

more widely used because of its simplicity and durability.

Note: The choice of surveyor type depends on personal preference

The differences between Ney and Jelenko surveyor are:

Jelenko:
1. Horizontal arm movable

2. Vertical arm spring mounted

3. vertical arm when released return to its original position.

[Link] is spring loaded

5. the carbon marker is triangular in cross section

6 . has a fan shaped bead with Each wing .

Ney:
1. Horizontal arm fixed

2 .vertical arm retained by friction with in fixed bearing

3. the shaft remains in any vertical position until it's moved.

4. arm is positioned by locking device

5. the carbon marker is circular in cross section

6. has circular beaded undercut gauge.

Ney Jelenko
Parts of dental surveyor:

1. Surveying plate form or surveying table: it is metal plate parallel to the

floor where cast holder can be placed. It forms the base of the surveyor on to

which other component are attached and supported.

2. Cast holder: it is stand placed over the surveying platform.

3 .Vertical arm: it arises vertically from surveying plate form. It supports

the superstructure

4. Horizontal arm: it extended horizontally from the top of the vertical arm;
it designed to support the surveying arm at its free end. It fixed in Ney

surveyor , where as it can revolve horizontally in Jelenko surveyor.

5. Surveying arm: it extends vertically from the free end of horizontal arm.
It is parallel to the vertical arm. It can move upward and downward. The

lower end of this arm has a CHUCK into which tools used for surveying can be
locked.
Surveying tools:

These are tools attached to the chuck of surveying arm and used for

Surveying (in sequence):

1. Analysing rod: metal rod placed against the teeth and ridges to identify
undercut area and to determine the parallelism of surfaces without marking the
cast .

2. Undercut gauge: to measure the extent of the undercut.

3. Graphite marker: it moved around the tooth and along the alveolar ridge
to determine the maximum convexity (survey line) that separates the

desirable from the non-desirable undercut.

4. Trimming knife: it used to eliminate the unwanted undercut on the master
cast, the wax is added to these areas and then the excess is removed with

trimmer so modified surface parallel to the path of insertion.

Rules of surveying:
1. Undercut cannot be produced or created by tilting a cast.

2. All casts are originally surveyed with occlusal plane parallel to the base of

the surveyor (zero degree).

3. The retentive tip of the clasp must engage undercuts.

4. The undesirable undercuts and areas of interference are removed during

mouth preparation.

5. The cast may be tilted to:

a. To equalize undercuts.

b. To place the clasp tips in a better position for esthetic.

c. Where six anterior teeth remain which are at the angle that the survey lines

are at the incisal edge of the teeth when the cast has a zero degree tilt.

Purpose of surveying:
1. Surveying the diagnostic cast, re-contouring abutment teeth on diagnostic

cast.

2. Contouring the wax pattern

3. Measure the depth of the undercut

4. Surveying ceramic veneer crowns.

5. Placing intra coronal retainer (intra coronal attachment)

6. Placing internal rest.

7. Surveying and block out the master cast

Path of placement: the path followed by the denture from its first contact
with the teeth until it is fully seated .it has three types:

a. Single path of placement.

b. Multiple path of placement.

c. Rotational path of placement

Factors that determine path of placement and removal:

1. Guiding plane

2. Retentive areas

3. Interference

4. Aesthetics
Several important principles must remain in mind when survey the

diagnostic cast:
1. The RPD will not stress the abutment beyond their psychological

tolerance.

2. Easily placed and removed by the patient.

3. It will be retained against reasonable dislodging forces.

4. It will not create unfavourable appearance.

Objectives of surveying diagnostic cast:

1. To determine the most desirable path of placement that will minimize

interference to placement and removal.

2. To identifying proximal tooth surface that are need to be made parallel, so

they act as guiding plan.

3. To locate and measure areas of the teeth that may be used for retention.

NOTE: the retention depends on :

The flexibility of the clasp arm (retentive arm),The magnitude of
the tooth undercut,Depth of clasp terminal is placed into this
under cut.
4. To determine whether teeth and bony areas of interference will need to be

eliminated surgically.

5. To determine the most suitable path of placement that will permit retainer

and artificial teeth to provide the best aesthetic advantage.

6. To permit accurate mouth preparation to be made.

7. To delineate the height of contour on abutment teeth and locate areas of

undesirable tooth undercut to be avoided, eliminated or blocked out.

8. To record the cast position in relation to the selected path of placement for

future reference.

procedure of surveying the diagnostic cast:

1. Attach the cast to the adjustable table by mean of clamp provided.

2. Position the adjustable table so that the occlusal surface of the teeth is

proximately parallel to the platform.

The recommended method for manipulating the dental surveyor:

a) The right hand on the horizontal arm of the surveyor, and fingers are

used as illustrated, to raise and lower the vertical shaft in its spindle.

b) The left hand holding the cast on adjustable table slid horizontally on

the platform in relation to the vertical arm, right hand must be used to loosen
and tighten the tilting mechanism as suitable anterio-posterior

and lateral tilt of the cast in relation to the surveyor.

3. Determine the guide planes:

a) Contact the proximal tooth surface with surveyor blade or diagnostic

stylus (analysing rod).

b) Alter the cast position anterioposeriorly until these proximal surfaces

are in as close to parallel relation to one another as possible.

4. Contact the buccal and lingual surfaces to the surveyor blade the amount
of retention existing below their height convexity may be determined, this is

accomplished by directly source of light toward the cast. The angle observed

as triangle of light between surveyor blade and apical portion of the tooth

being studied.

5. Any area of interfering must be evaluated the mandibular cast have more

interfering areas than the maxillary cast, lingually inclined premolars teeth

are the most common causes of interfering to the lingual bar, also any bony

undercut must elevated and decision made to remove them surgically or

restoring the teeth to achieve guide planes, or design denture base to avoid

such undercut.

6. The path of placement established must still be considered from the stand

point of esthetic.

7. All proposed mouth changes should be indicated on the diagnostic cast in

red pencil, the red mark represent actual modification of the teeth that remain

to be done, which consist of:

a) The preparation of proximal surfaces

b) The reduction of buccal and lingual surfaces

c) Preparation of rest seat

• Block Out and Relief
Relieving the master cast:

The differences between block out and relief must clearly understand, for

example:

- Tissue undercut that would offer interference

to the seating of the

lingual bar connector is blocked out with block

out wax and trimmed

parallel to the path of placement. This does not

in itself necessarily

afford relief to avoid tissue impingement.

- In addition to such block out, a relief of varying thickness must

sometimes be used, depending on the

a. Location of the connector

b. Relative slope of the alveolar ridge, and

c. Predictable effect of denture rotation.

Types of block out and relief:

1. Parallel block out:

Site:

• Beneath all minor connector

• Tissue undercut to be crossed by rigid

connector

• Proximal tooth surface to be used as guide

planes.

• Tissue undercut to be crossed by the origin of

bar clasp

• Deep inter proximal space to be covered by

minor connector or

linguoplate

• Beneath the bar clasp arm to gingival cervices.

Material:

• Hard base plate wax or block out material

2. Arbitrary block out:

Site:

• All gingival cervices

• Cross tissue undercut situated below area involved in the

design of

denture framework.

• Tissue undercut distal to the cast framework.

• Lingual and buccal tooth and tissue undercut not

involved in

denture design.

Material:

• Hard base plate wax or oil-based clay.

3. Shaped block out:

Site:

• On buccal and lingual surfaces to locate plastic

or wax patterns for

clasp arm.

Material:

• Hard base plate wax.

4. Relief:

Purpose of the relief:

1. Prevent tissue impingement resulting from rotation of

the denture framework.

2. To prevent abrasion of the cast

3. Create space for the acrylic (beneath the retentive ladder)

Site:

• Beneath the lingual bar connector or the bar portion of the

linguoplates when indicated.

• Areas in which major connector will contact thin tissue, such as

hard areas so frequently found on lingual or mandibular ridges and

elevated palatal raphes.

• Beneath framework extension onto ridges areas for attachment of

resin bases.

Material:

• Hard base plate wax

Adhesive wax well adapted and sealed to the cast beyond the involved area.

Tissue stops
are integral parts of minor connectors designed for the
retention of acrylic resin bases.
 • In cases with a distal extension denture base, a lattice or mesh-type minor
connector with tissue stops is used to stabilize the framework during the
packing of the resin.

Purposes of tissue stops:

1- They provide stability to the framework during the stages of transfer and
processing.

2- They are particularly useful in preventing distortion of the framework during

acrylic-resin processing procedures.

3- Tissue stops give adequate space for the acrylic to flow in between the
framework and tissue surface of the cast.

Preparation of tissue stops:

It's prepared by removing 2mm from the cast anterior to the retromolar area
and relief wax placed under the minor connector.

References

(Stratton and Wiebelt, 1988) (Prosthodontics, 1994) (Owen, 2000) (Jones and
Garcia, 2009) (Carr and Brown, 2010),(Johnson et al., 2015)

CARR, A. B. & BROWN, D. T. 2010. McCracken's Removable Partial

Prosthodontics-E-Book, Elsevier Health Sciences.

JOHNSON, T., PATRICK, D. G., STOKES, C. W., WILDGOOSE, D. G. & WOOD, D. J.

2015. Basics of dental technology: a step by step approach, John Wiley & Sons.

JONES, J. D. & GARCIA, L. T. 2009. Removable partial dentures: a clinician's

guide, John Wiley & Sons.
OWEN, C. P. 2000. Fundamentals of removable partial dentures, Juta and
Company Ltd. PROSTHODONTICS, T. 1994. The glossary of prosthodontic
terms.

Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, 71,72STRATTON, R. J. & WIEBELT, F. J. 1988.

An atlas of removable partial denture design, Quintessence Publishing
Company Chicago.