/home/opencode/cpanel/stomaeduj_hacked/uploads/Letter.pdf www.stomaeduj.com Rudolf Slavicek’s Letter Scientific Contributions Jean-Daniel Orthlieb, Anne Giraudeau, Jean-Philippe Ré, Camille Raynaud, Florian Créhange, Estelle Casazza Faculty of Odontology - Aix-Marseille University; APHM - La Timone Hospital, Marseille, France Rudolf SLAVICEK died in Vienna (Austria) on the first of January this year at the age of 93. He was serene, with a sense of accomplishment. He was an inspiring, tireless, strong-willed man, inventor and philanthropist. He devoted his life to the mastery of integrated occlusion in oral functions, acquiring a world reputation. His many scientific contributions will not only not fade away, but will grow: so, he will not disappear. HIS HISTORY He retired from the university in 1998, inviting all his Through his medical training (doctor of medicine close colleagues to a memorable farewell seminar in 1954, with incipient knowledge of cardiology), in Vienna. This was not the end, but in fact a new his training in dentistry (certified in 1957), his start to a new teaching career at the private Danube specialised training in restorative and prosthetic University in Krems, where he offered master courses dentistry (1958), in orthodontics (1958-60), but also in oral function-dysfunction. He then founded VieSID through his passion for anthropology and anatomy, (Vienna School of Interdisciplinary dentistry), which Rudolf Slavicek gained an extremely broad cultural is managed by his son Christian Slavicek. base, while in Vienna, Austria, between 1946, the The training programmes provided by VieSID are year of his baccalaureate, and 1960. It is on this very attended by a large number of colleagues from solid base that he will build a professional career many countries around the world. rich in innovations. Between 1960 and 1975 he There are now several VieSID branches in different initiated his quest for knowledge by reading and countries. At the same time, in 2006, he created the meeting the great international authors in the field "Summerschool" with the support of Sadao Sato of oral functions and dysfunctions. He worked, for and Jean-Daniel Orthlieb. Thus, first in Krems, then example, with Lauritzen, Lundeen, Wirth, Gibbs and in Vienna, in collaboration with the dental faculty, Ramfjord. Parallel to his private practice in Vienna, he developed a teaching career at a late stage, in which every year for five days in July, many colleagues he demonstrated that the combination of broad meet around his former students. culture, intelligence and a willingness to share can The event started with about 20 participants and generate creative results that had a considerable now it has about 300 participants from 4 continents. influence on the field of occlusion, which concerned (Fig. 1a,1b) The "summerschool" has become a cult all aspects of dentistry. event of an impressive scientific level in the warm He himself said "I took my time joining an academic atmosphere of a real family. career". At the age of 50 (1978), he became an The topics are multidisciplinary, focusing on oral Associate Professor, defended his PhD in 1982, functions around orthodontics and prosthetics. became a full-time University Professor in 1984, and Rudolf Slavicek had a nice formula to define was Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry in Vienna from orthodontics: "an orthodontic treatment is a great 1992 to 1997. occlusal reconstruction with natural teeth". Figure 1a. Second Summerschool in 2007. Figure 1b. Summerschool in 2019. Stoma Edu J. 2022;9(1): 7-10 pISSN 2360-2406; eISSN 2502-0285 7 Orthlieb JD, et al. www.stomaeduj.com HIS WORK Starting with this work, he would fundamentally Letter Without being exhaustive, five major themes can be optimize the concept of canine function by inventing highlighted. the sequential guidance [4], the functional angle of freedom (Fig. 4), the retrusive control [5,6]. These - Anterior guide or mandibular steering are concepts to guide prosthetic or orthodontic In 1982, Rudolf Slavicek published an extensive reconstruction (Fig. 5), not rules to be found in all research work combining morphological, natural occlusions. He later proposed to replace the cephalometric and axiographic analyses to better term guidance by the term control to emphasize the understand mandibular functions. He obtained importance of proprioception of the anterior teeth. his PhD and published his work in a first book "Die funktionellen determinanten des kauorgans - The functional determinants of the masticatory organ" [1]. He studied, among other things, the lingual morphology of the anterior teeth, the inclinations of the guiding slopes of the maxillary teeth (Fig. 2a, 2b); he developed the principle of absolute slopes (in relation to the reference plane (Fig. 3), the Axio- Orbital plane) and relative slopes (in relation to the occlusal plane) [2,3]. Figure 4. The functional angle of freedom: about 10° (allowing forward movements) it is to be found whatever the inclination of the anterior teeth, possibly compensating for skeletal shifts. Figure 2a. Measurement of incisal slope from silicone impression cup N = 285, m = 57.54°, Et = 10.89°. Figure 5. The Anti-Retroposition Guide (ARG): ideally located on the mesial side of the lingual cusp of the maxillary first premolar, it optimizes the occlusal guidance between OIM and ORC (less loaded, more discriminating area). - SAM Articulator Already before the 1980s, Rudolf Slavicek collabora- ted with a new company in Munich, the SAM company, to develop an articulator that was between the semi-adaptable and the fully adaptable articulator, but was still simple and precise to use. The SAM articulator will incorporate condylar housings and curvilinear Bennett inserts and will be an outstanding success; thanks to its precision, robustness and simplicity, it will be an exceptional Figure 2b. Measurement of canine slope from silicone impression success, which is still relevant today (Fig. 6a, 6b). section N = 277, m = 48.73°, Et = 9.88°. Figure 3. The determinants of guidance: absolute (/ Axio-Orbital Plan) and relative (/ Occlusion Plan) slopes. Figure 6a. SAM Articulator: (a) SAM I. 8 Stoma Edu J. 2022;9(1): 7-10 pISSN 2360-2406; eISSN 2502-0285 Rudolf Slavicek’s scientific contributions www.stomaeduj.com Letter Figure 6b. SAM Articulator: (b) SAM II. Figure 7c. From axiography to condylography: 2015, Cadiax - Gamma electronic condylography. - Axiography - Cephalometry At the end of the 1970s, the development of Also, at the end of the 1970s, Rudolf Slavicek axiography saw Rudolf Slavicek as a guest on various developed a concept of global analysis that international podiums [7,8]. Derived from Campion superimposes cephalometric, axiographic and (1902), Gysi, Lee, Lundeen, the axiograph proposed occlusal (from the articulator mounting) data on by SAM structures (Fig. 7a), with relatively simple the same axio-orbital reference plane [3]. These means, the registration of condylar translations by superimpositions allow the combination of condylar eliminating condylar rotations [9]. In addition to measurements for the individual programming of slope (axiography) and occlusal plane inclination condylar boxes, Rudolf Slavicek was able to develop (cephalometry) data to calculate the reconstruction a method for the diagnostic analysis of intracapsular of cuspidial slopes and guide slopes (articulator). TMJ disorders [10]. In the 1990s, mechanical Computerised cephalometry developed in the axiography evolved with the development of 1980s has evolved with the development of CADIAS electronic condylography CADIAX (Fig. 7b, 7c) by the software providing numerous possibilities for Gamma company headed by Christian Slavicek [11]. therapeutic simulation VOT (Fig. 8). Figure 7a. From axiography to condylography: 1980, SAM mechanical Figure 8. Superposition of computerised cephalometric tracings and axiograph. mechanical axiographic tracing: CADIAX analyses in 2022. - Bruxism In 1984, Rudolf Slavicek supervised a university thesis defended by Karin Kail in Vienna. This visionary work introduces the manducatory apparatus as an organ for the discharge of emotional tensions, i.e. bruxism appears as a stress-relieving valve [12]. This concept was subsequently validated by numerous research studies published by Sadao Sato's team at the Kanagawa Dental University in Japan. This team work led to the development of the "Bruxckecker" (Fig. 9), a simple means of evaluating grinding bruxism [13]. Figure 7b. From axiography to condylography: 1990, SAM electronic axiography. Stoma Edu J. 2022;9(1): 7-10 pISSN 2360-2406; eISSN 2502-0285 9 Orthlieb JD, et al. www.stomaeduj.com to motivate and encourage his colleagues to publish Letter their work in this forum of communication and discussion. Recently, Professor Slavicek published a new three-part book, "Concepts in Oral Medicine" (2016), which presents numerous illustrations of the holistic therapeutic approach according to the principles of the Vienna School. Figure 9. Bruxchecker: thermoformed splint, 0.1 mm thick, coloured red, worn overnight, showing the reality of occlusal confrontations by the traces of friction having erased the red dye. A simple, relevant, curiously unknown tool. - Cybernetics As Rudolf Slavicek matured and dominated the mechanical aspects of mandibular function, he was Figure 10. The cybernetic system of the multi-structural, able to take a step back and integrate his occlusal- multi-functional "masticatory organ" makes binary views obsolete. functional concept into the broader framework of the patient's whole organism [14]. This is embodied CONCLUSION in the cybernetic concept of the "masticatory organ" (Fig. 10) published in his book "Das Kauorgan" Intelligence, broad scientific culture, simplicity, in 2002 [15]. In 2008, supported by Spinger, he empathy, absence of sectarianism, clinical involve- decided to publish a new peer-reviewed journal, ment and great strictness in implementation, International Journal of Stomatology & Occlusion characterize his brand and his "School" of thought. Medicine (IJSOM). This European, multidisciplinary, We can all see and more clearly when we stand on "medical occlusion" oriented journal was intended the broad shoulders of this giant. REFERENCES 1. Slavicek R. Die funktionellen determinanten des kauorgans. 8. 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