ASSOCIATION BETWEEN DENTAL OCCLUSAL VARIABLES AND INTRAARTICULAR TEMPOROMANDIBULAR-JOINT DISORDERS - HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL OVERLAP

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.