J. Kahn et al., ASSOCIATION BETWEEN DENTAL OCCLUSAL VARIABLES AND INTRAARTICULAR TEMPOROMANDIBULAR-JOINT DISORDERS - HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL OVERLAP, The Journal of prosthetic dentistry, 79(6), 1998, pp. 658-662
Statement of problem. It has been suggested that dental occlusion may
play a role in the development of intraarticular temporomandibular joi
nt disorders. Purpose. This study evaluated the relationship between h
orizontal and vertical overlap and intraarticular temporomandibular jo
int disorders. Material and methods. Vertical and horizontal overlap o
f the anterior teeth of 82 asymptomatic volunteers and 263 symptomatic
patients were examined. Results. Fifty-five (67%) of. the asymptomati
c volunteers had normal joints and 27 (33%) had disk displacement. Two
hundred and twenty-one patients (84%) had disk displacement and 42 (1
6%) had bilateral symptomatic normal joints. Horizontal overlap equal
to or greater than 4 mm was more prevalent in the symptomatic patient
group as compared with the asymptomatic volunteer group (P < 0.05). Ve
rtical overlap equal to or greater than 4 mm demonstrated no significa
nt differences. Conclusion. Horizontal overlap equal to or greater tha
n 4 mm was greater in symptomatic patients with intraarticular temporo
mandibular joint disorders.