DANB General Chairside Practice Test

Which piece of equipment is used for face-bow registration during a dental procedure?

1. Articulator

2. Bite fork

3. Dental mirror

4. Explorer

The correct answer is: Bite fork

The correct answer, bite fork, is essential for obtaining face-bow registration in the dental practice. A bite fork is an instrument designed to capture the occlusal relationship between the maxillary and mandibular arches. When conducting a face-bow registration, the bite fork is attached to the jaw relationship record, allowing the dentist or dental assistant to establish the spatial relationship between the dental casts and the patient's cranial structure. This procedure is vital for accurately articulating the models, which ultimately contributes to proper alignment and occlusion in restorative and prosthetic dentistry. Other equipment, such as articulators, play a role in simulating jaw movement and occlusion but do not directly perform face-bow registration. Dental mirrors are primarily used for visualization in the oral cavity, and explorers serve to detect cavities or other dental issues; neither fulfills the specific function of gathering occlusal relationships for face-bow registration. Thus, the distinction of the bite fork as the correct choice lies in its direct involvement in the process of capturing this crucial dental measurement.