DENTAL SURVEYOR

Dr. Sudheer
Removable partial denture can be successful only if it
satisfies two principles:

1. Path of placement similar to path of removal

2. No rigid component goes and gets stuck in undercuts
Before the invention of the dental surveyor, dentists evaluated

axial contours and undercuts of teeth by visual survey of dental

casts .This was accomplished by holding a cast at arms length

while viewing it with one eye closed. Then, using the other hand

to hold a sharp pencil perpendicular to the occlusal plane, the

practitioner would pass a pencil lead over the axial surfaces of

the teeth to develop a survey line at the greatest diameter of

each tooth.
DENTAL SURVEYOR is defined as “a paralleling
instrument used in the construction of prosthesis to
locate and delineate the contours and relative
positions of abutment teeth and associated structures.
A: Base

B: Vertical upright column.

C: Cross arm.

D: VerticalA:spindle.
Base
B: Vertical upright column.
C: Cross arm.
E: Tool holder.
D: Vertical spindle.

F: Surveyor tool in place.

G: Lock-nut to hold tools in

place.

H: Screw to lock spindle

I: Tool rack.

J: Survey table.

K: Storage compartment
Uses of the dental surveyor :
The surveyor is used in surveying both the study and the
master cast. This helps in the proper diagnosis, designing and
treatment planning. The casts are surveyed to fulfill the
following objectives :
1- Determining and drawing the survey line of teeth at the
required tilt of the cast.

2- Locating and measuring areas of tooth undercut that may

be used for retention.

3- Locating undesirable undercuts that should be avoided,

eliminated or blocked out.

4- Trimming of block-out material on the master cast to

conform to the path of insertion.
5- To identify proximal tooth surfaces that are or can be made
parallel to act as guiding plane.
6- To determine whether tooth or bony areas of interference
will need to be eliminated.
7- To determine the most favorable path of appliance insertion
which is free from any interference during insertion or removal
without impingement of the oral mucosa.
8- Paralleling crown restorations to have them conform to the
determined path of insertion.
9- Permit an accurate charting of the required mouth
preparations. This may include :
a) The preparation of proximal tooth surfaces to provide guiding
planes.

b) Reduction or disking of tooth structure to eliminate

interferences.

c) Modifying tooth contours to permit an acceptable location of

reciprocal& retentive clasp arms.
10- Recording the position of the cast in relation to the selected
path of insertion for future repositioning of the cast on the surveyor
at the predetermined tilt, fig.
This can be done by one of the following methods.
a- Tripoding:
→ Tripoding is done by drawing three widely separated cross marks
on the tissue side of the cast lingual or palatal to the remaining
natural teeth while the tool holder is locked at a certain vertical
height.
→ The cast can be repositioned to the same tilt by allowing the
analyzing rod to touch one of the cross marks, the spindle is then
locked at this vertical height and the tilt of the cast is modified until
the rod touches the three cross marks.
b- Scoring :
→ Two sides& the dorsal aspect of the base of the cast are scored
with a sharp instrument held against the surveyor blade, fig.
→ By tilting the cast until all three lines are parallel to the surveyor
blade, the original tilt can be re-established.
TYPES

The most common types are three

Jelenko ,

Ney and

Williams
3 separate sizes of undercut gauges

Holding of tools by spring load Holding by friction

Horizontal arm can swivel Horizontal arm is fixed

Under cut gauge is of special type which have 3 sizes in the same rod
3 separate sizes

Holding of tools by spring load Holding by friction

Horizontal arm can swivel