Mouth opening measuring device

Abstract

To provide a mouth opening measuring device allowing subjects themselves and medical professionals themselves to check measurement results.SOLUTION: A mouth opening measuring device for measuring an opening amount between the upper and lower jaws, comprises a plate-shaped measuring device body 2 whose width gradually increases from a tip 2c, and a first slider member 3 attached to one side 2a of the measuring device body. The measuring device body includes a tooth locking part 4 provided at the tip, the opposing side 2b opposite to the one side, and being locked to a tooth on one of the upper and lower jaws, and a first scale part 5 marked along the one side. The first slider member is provided to be movable on the one side from the tip along the one side and can be brought into contact with a tooth on the other of the upper and lower jaws.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an opening degree measuring device for measuring the opening amount of patients with limited mouth opening due to temporomandibular joint disorders, surgical invasions in the head and neck region, etc.

Background Art

[0002] For example, in patients who have undergone temporomandibular joint disorders or surgeries around the mouth, rehabilitation is performed to restore the opening function, and the opening amount (opening degree) of the patients is measured to observe the progress of treatment. Also, in dental medicine, measurement of the opening amount is performed as an examination for diagnosis of limited mouth opening and determination of the effect during treatment. Conventionally, an opening degree measuring device has been used to measure such an opening amount.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes an opening degree measuring device for measuring the opening amount between the upper jaw and the lower jaw, which includes a locking portion that is locked to a first reference tooth in one jaw, a measuring surface against which a second reference tooth in the other jaw abuts in a state where the locking portion is locked to the first reference tooth, and a first scale provided on the measuring surface and indicating the distance from the locking portion. This opening measuring device includes a locking portion that is fixed to a first reference tooth serving as a reference for measurement, and by using the tooth as a fulcrum during measurement, the distance from the locking portion to the position where the second reference tooth abuts on the measuring surface is measured to measure the opening amount.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the above conventional technology, the following problems remain. That is, in a conventional mouth opening measurement device, the opening amount is measured by visually observing the scale at the position where the teeth are in contact while the subject, such as a patient, has their mouth open. However, when visually observing the position of the teeth and the scale in this state, there is a problem that the subject themselves cannot confirm the measurement result. In addition, since the mouth opening measurement device is applied to the subject's teeth, there is also an inconvenience that it is difficult for medical staff to visually observe the scale and the like.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a mouth opening measurement device that allows the subject themselves or medical staff themselves to confirm the measurement result.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The present invention adopts the following configuration to solve the above problems. That is, a mouth opening measurement device according to a first invention is a mouth opening measurement device for measuring the opening amount between the upper jaw and the lower jaw, and includes a plate-shaped measurement device body whose width gradually expands from the tip, and a first slider member attached to one side of the measurement device body. The measurement device body has a tooth locking portion provided at the tip and facing the one side and locked to a tooth in one of the upper jaw and the lower jaw, and a first scale portion displayed along the one side. The first slider member is provided so as to be movable along the one side from the tip, and a tooth in the other of the upper jaw and the lower jaw can come into contact therewith.

[0008] In this mouth opening measurement device, since the first slider member is provided so as to be movable along the one side from the tip and a tooth in the other of the upper jaw and the lower jaw can come into contact therewith, when the mouth is opened, the first slider member pushed by the teeth moves along the one side. Therefore, even if the mouth opening measurement device is taken out of the mouth after opening, the subject themselves or medical staff themselves can confirm the opening amount from the position of the moved first slider member.

[0009] That is, when measuring the opening amount of the subject, for example, with the anterior teeth of the subject's lower jaw locked to the tooth locking portion, the anterior teeth of the upper jaw are brought into contact with the first slider member. Note that the first slider member is moved to the tip portion in advance. In this state, when the measuring instrument body is inserted into the oral cavity while expanding the mouth vertically, the first slider member with which the anterior teeth of the upper jaw are in contact is pushed and slides and moves on the one side according to the opening amount. Even when the opening degree measuring instrument is taken out of the mouth after opening, the position where the moved first slider member stops can be confirmed, and the subject himself / herself can confirm the opening amount from the scale of the first scale portion at that position.

[0010] The opening degree measuring instrument according to the second invention, in the first invention, includes a second slider member attached to the measuring instrument body, and the measuring instrument body has an inclined surface formed on the front surface or the back surface and gradually thickened and inclined from the rear end portion toward the front end portion, and a second scale portion displayed from the rear end portion toward the front end portion on at least one of the inclined surface and the opposite surface of the inclined surface, and the second slider member is provided so as to be movable on the inclined surface from the rear end portion toward the front end portion and the teeth on the other of the upper jaw and the lower jaw can come into contact therewith.

[0011] That is, in this opening degree measuring instrument, since the second slider member is provided so as to be movable on the inclined surface from the rear end portion toward the front end portion and the teeth on the other of the upper jaw and the lower jaw can come into contact therewith, even when the opening amount is small and cannot be sufficiently measured by the measurement with the first slider member, since the second slider member slides along the inclined surface, a small opening amount within the thickness range of the measuring instrument body can be measured.

[0012] For example, when measuring the opening amount using the second slider member for a subject who can only open their mouth slightly, with the front teeth of the subject's lower jaw in contact with the opposite surface of the inclined surface (the back surface of the rear end portion), the front teeth of the upper jaw are brought into contact with the second slider member. Note that the second slider member is moved to the rear end portion in advance. In this state, when inserting the measuring instrument body into the oral cavity while opening the mouth up and down, the second slider member in contact with the front teeth of the upper jaw is pushed and slides and moves on the inclined surface according to the opening amount. Even after removing the opening degree measuring instrument from the mouth after opening, the position where the moved second slider member stops can be confirmed, and the subject can confirm the opening amount from the scale of the second scale portion at that position.

[0013] In the opening degree measuring instrument according to the third invention, in the first or second invention, the one side has a first inclined side portion on the front end side of the measuring instrument body and a second inclined side portion on the rear end side of the measuring instrument body, and the inclination angle of the first inclined side portion with respect to the opposing side is larger than that of the second inclined side portion. That is, in this opening degree measuring instrument, since the inclination angle of the first inclined side portion with respect to the opposing side is larger than that of the second inclined side portion, compared with the case where the one side is inclined to the tip while maintaining the inclination angle of the second inclined side portion, the protruding amount of the tip portion becomes smaller, and when inserted into the subject's mouth, it is possible to suppress the tip of the measuring instrument body from entering too deep and hitting the subject's tongue or the like.

[0014] The opening degree measuring instrument according to the fourth invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first or second inventions, the measuring instrument body has a through hole or a recess in the center. That is, in this opening degree measuring instrument, since the measuring instrument body has a through hole or a recess in the center, it can be positioned by holding the measuring instrument body so as to sandwich the through hole or the recess with a finger, and it is possible to prevent the measuring instrument body from tilting left and right during measurement.

[0015] The opening degree measuring instrument according to the fifth invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first or second inventions, the tooth locking portion is provided to protrude on both sides in the thickness direction of the measuring instrument body and has a tooth groove portion orthogonal to the opposing side. That is, in this aperture measuring device, the tooth locking portion protrudes from both sides in the thickness direction of the measuring device body and has a tooth groove portion orthogonal to the opposing side. Therefore, by locking the teeth on one of the upper and lower jaws in the long tooth groove portion, it becomes possible to perform stable measurement with less tooth displacement.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, the following effects can be achieved. That is, according to the aperture measuring device of the present invention, the first slider member is provided so as to be movable along the one side from the tip end portion, and the teeth on the other of the upper and lower jaws can come into contact therewith. Therefore, when the first slider member pushed by the teeth when opening moves along the one side, even if the aperture measuring device is taken out of the mouth after opening, the subject or the medical staff themselves can confirm the opening amount from the position of the moved first slider member. Therefore, with the aperture measuring device of the present invention, especially in the aperture inspection of patients who have undergone temporomandibular joint disorder or oral surgery and in the dental medical examination, the subject or the medical staff themselves can easily confirm the opening amount.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 7

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the aperture measuring device in the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the aperture measuring device 1 in the present embodiment is an aperture measuring device that measures the opening amount between the upper jaw and the lower jaw, and includes a plate-shaped measuring device body 2 whose width gradually expands from the tip portion 2c, and a first slider member 3 attached to one side 2a of the measuring device body 2. The measuring device body 2 has a tooth locking portion 4 provided on the opposing side 2b of the tip portion 2c that faces the one side 2a and is locked to a tooth T1 on one of the upper jaw and the lower jaw, and a first scale portion 5 displayed along the one side 2a.

[0020] The first slider member 3 is provided so as to be movable along the one side 2a from the tip portion 2c, and a tooth T2 on the other of the upper jaw and the lower jaw can come into contact therewith. Further, the aperture measuring device 1 of the present embodiment includes a second slider member 6 attached to the measuring device body 2. The measuring device body 2 has an inclined surface 2e formed on the front surface or the back surface and gradually thickened and inclined from the rear end portion 2d toward the front end portion 2c, and a second scale portion 7 displayed from the rear end portion 2d toward the front end portion 2c on at least one of the inclined surface 2e and the opposite surface 2f of the inclined surface 2e. In the present embodiment, the inclined surface 2e is formed on the front surface (right side surface) of the measuring device body 2, and the second scale portion 7 is displayed on both the front surface (right side surface) and the back surface (left side surface).

[0021] The second slider member 6 is provided so as to be movable on the inclined surface 2e from the rear end portion 2d toward the front end portion 2c, and a tooth T2 on the other of the upper jaw and the lower jaw can come into contact therewith. The one side 2a has a first inclined side portion 2aa on the front end side of the measuring device body 2 and a second inclined side portion 2ab on the rear end side of the measuring device body 2.

[0022] The first inclined side portion 2aa is set such that the inclination angle with respect to the opposing side 2b is larger than that of the second inclined side portion 2ab. Note that the boundary portion between the first inclined side portion 2aa and the second inclined side portion 2ab is formed in an arc shape so that the inclination angle gradually and gently changes from the first inclined side portion 2aa to the second inclined side portion 2ab. For this reason, the first slider member 3 can move smoothly from the first inclined side portion 2aa to the second inclined side portion 2ab.

[0023] Further, the measuring instrument main body 2 has a through hole 2g or a recess at the center. In the present embodiment, a through hole 2g is formed at the center of the measuring instrument main body 2. The tooth locking portion 4 is provided so as to protrude on both sides in the thickness direction of the measuring instrument main body 2 and has a tooth groove portion 4a orthogonal to the opposing side 2b. That is, the tooth groove portion 4a is formed longer by the amount protruding on both sides in the thickness direction.

[0024] The measuring instrument main body 2 is formed in a substantially triangular plate shape and is entirely formed of, for example, resin. On the side of the one side 2a of the measuring instrument main body 2, a pair of rail groove portions 2h are formed on both the right side surface and the left side surface (front and back surfaces) along the one side 2a. These rail groove portions 2h serve as guide rail grooves for the first slider member 3 to slide.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 6, the first slider member 3 has a U-shaped cross-section portion 3a formed so as to sandwich the side of the one side 2a of the measuring instrument main body 2, and a pair of inner protruding portions 3b that fit into the pair of rail groove portions 2h are formed inside the U-shaped cross-section portion 3a. Note that an arrow mark 3c indicating the scale of the first scale portion 5 is displayed on the side surface of the U-shaped cross-section portion 3a by printing or engraving. For example, the size of the opening (distance between the front ends of the upper and lower front teeth) is displayed on the first scale portion 5 by printing or engraving.

[0026] A slit portion 2i is formed on the inclined surface 2e from the rear end side toward the tip portion 2c. The second slider member 6 is fitted into the slit portion 2i so as to be movable along the slit portion 2i. The inclined surface 2e is an arc-shaped inclined surface formed from the front end side from a flat portion 2j formed thinner than the inclined surface 2e at the rear end portion 2d of the measuring instrument body 2. For example, the size of the opening (the distance between the upper and lower front tooth tips) is displayed on the second scale portion 7 by printing or engraving.

[0027] Thus, in the opening degree measuring instrument 1 of the present embodiment, the first slider member 3 is provided so as to be movable along the one side 2a from the tip portion 2c on the one side 2a, and the tooth T2 on the other side of the upper jaw and the lower jaw can come into contact therewith. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, when the mouth is opened, the first slider member 3 pushed by the tooth T2 moves on the one side 2a. Even if the opening degree measuring instrument 1 is taken out of the mouth after opening, the subject himself or a medical worker himself can confirm the opening amount from the position of the moved first slider member 3.

[0028] That is, when measuring the opening amount of the subject, for example, with the lower front tooth T1 of the subject locked to the tooth locking portion 4, the upper front tooth T2 is brought into contact with the first slider member 3. In addition, the first slider member 3 is moved to the tip portion 2c in advance. In this state, when the measuring instrument body 2 is inserted into the oral cavity while expanding the mouth up and down, the first slider member 3 with which the upper front tooth T2 is in contact is pushed and slides and moves on the one side 2a according to the opening amount. Even if the opening degree measuring instrument 1 is taken out of the mouth after opening, the position where the moved first slider member 3 stops can be confirmed, and the subject himself or the like can confirm the opening amount from the scale of the first scale portion 5 at that position.

[0029] Further, since the second slider member 6 is provided so as to be movable on the inclined surface 2e from the rear end portion 2d toward the tip portion 2c and the tooth T2 on the other side of the upper jaw and the lower jaw can come into contact therewith, even when the opening amount is small and cannot be sufficiently measured by the measurement with the first slider member 3, since the second slider member 6 slides along the inclined surface 2e, a small opening amount within the range of the thickness of the measuring instrument body 2 can be measured.

[0030] For example, when measuring the opening amount using the second slider member 6 for a subject who can only open their mouth slightly, with the front teeth T1 of the subject's lower jaw in contact with the opposite surface 2f (the back surface of the rear end portion) of the inclined surface 2e, the front teeth T2 of the upper jaw are brought into contact with the second slider member 6. In addition, the second slider member 6 is moved to the rear end portion 2d in advance. In this state, when inserting the measuring instrument body 2 into the oral cavity while opening the mouth up and down, the second slider member 6 in contact with the front teeth T2 of the upper jaw is pushed and slides on the inclined surface 2e according to the opening amount and moves. Even after removing the opening degree measuring instrument 1 from the mouth after opening, the position where the moved second slider member 6 has stopped can be confirmed, and the subject can confirm the opening amount from the scale of the second scale portion 7 at that position.

[0031] In addition, since the inclination angle of the first inclined side portion 2aa with respect to the opposing side 2b is larger than that of the second inclined side portion 2ab, compared with the case where the one side 2a is inclined to the tip while maintaining the inclination angle of the second inclined side portion 2ab, the protruding amount of the tip portion 2c becomes smaller, and when the measuring instrument body 2 is inserted into the subject's mouth, it is possible to prevent the tip of the measuring instrument body 2 from entering too deep and hitting the subject's tongue or the like.

[0032] In addition, since the measuring instrument body 2 has a through hole 2g or a recess at the center, it can be positioned by holding the measuring instrument body 2 so as to sandwich the through hole 2g or the recess with a finger, and it becomes possible to prevent the measuring instrument body 2 from tilting left and right during measurement. Furthermore, since the tooth locking portion 4 is provided to protrude on both sides in the thickness direction of the measuring instrument body 2 and has a tooth groove portion 4a orthogonal to the opposing side 2b, by locking the tooth T1 on one of the upper and lower jaws in the long tooth groove portion 4a, it becomes possible to perform stable measurement with the tooth T1 being difficult to shift.

[0033] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0034] 1... Mouth opening measuring device, 2... Measuring device body, 2a... One side of the measuring device body, 2b... Opposite side facing the said one side, 2c... Tip portion, 2e... Inclined surface, 2f... Opposite surface of the inclined surface, 2aa... First inclined side portion, 2ab... Second inclined side portion, 2g... Through hole, 3... First slider member, 4... Tooth locking portion, 4a... Tooth groove portion, 5... First scale portion, 6... Second slider member, 7... Second scale portion, T1... Tooth in one of the upper jaw and the lower jaw, T2... Tooth in the other of the upper jaw and the lower jaw

Claims

1. An opening degree measuring device for measuring the opening amount between the upper jaw and the lower jaw, comprising: a plate-shaped measuring device body with a width gradually expanding from the tip; and a first slider member attached to one side of the measuring device body, wherein the measuring device body is provided with a tooth locking portion at the tip portion on the opposite side facing the one side and locked to a tooth on one of the upper jaw and the lower jaw, and has a first scale portion displayed along the one side, and the first slider member is provided so as to be movable along the one side from the tip portion on the one side, and a tooth on the other of the upper jaw and the lower jaw can come into contact therewith. The opening degree measuring device is characterized by this.

2. In the opening degree measuring device according to Claim 1, it further comprises a second slider member attached to the measuring device body, the measuring device body has an inclined surface formed on the front surface or the back surface and gradually thickened and inclined from the rear end portion toward the tip portion, and has a second scale portion displayed from the rear end portion toward the tip portion on at least one of the inclined surface and the opposite surface of the inclined surface, and the second slider member is provided so as to be movable on the inclined surface from the rear end portion toward the tip portion, and a tooth on the other of the upper jaw and the lower jaw can come into contact therewith. The opening degree measuring device is characterized by this.

3. In the opening degree measuring device according to Claim 1 or 2, the one side has a first inclined side portion on the tip side of the measuring device body and a second inclined side portion on the rear end side of the measuring device body, and the first inclined side portion has a larger inclination angle with respect to the opposite side than the second inclined side portion. The opening degree measuring device is characterized by this.

4. In the opening degree measuring device according to Claim 1 or 2, the measuring device body is characterized by having a through hole or a recess in the center.

5. In the opening degree measuring device according to Claim 1 or 2, the tooth locking portion is provided to project on both sides in the thickness direction of the measuring device body and has a tooth groove portion orthogonal to the opposite side. The opening degree measuring device is characterized by this.

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