Vertical position, rotation, and tipping of molars without antagonists

Purpose: There has been a general belief that permanent teeth without antag onists overerupt, creating, after some time, considerable clinical problems . However, Very few studies in the literature support this statement The pu rpose of this investigation was to examine the position of molars that had been unopposed for a long period and to test the hypothesis that overerupti on does affect every tooth without an antagonist. Materials and Methods: Fi fty-three individuals were examined clinically, and dental casts were taken to evaluate the position of unopposed molars. There were 84 molars (61 in the maxilla and 23 in the mandible) with a documented period of at least 10 years without antagonists. Among these teeth, 25 molars had neither an ant agonist nor a mesially adjacent tooth. A qualitative method was used to eva luate the position of the molars in the vertical direction: (1) teeth with no sign of overeruption, (2) teeth with slight overeruption (< 2 mm), and ( 3) teeth with moderate to severe overeruption (<greater than or equal to> 2 mm). Results: Of the 84 molars examined, 15 teeth (18%) revealed no signs of overeruption, 49 teeth (58%) displayed overeruption of less than 2 mm, a nd 20 teeth (24%) showed moderate to severe overeruption. individuals with molars that had lost their antagonists in adult age had a lower risk for ov ereruption than the other subjects examined. The existence of adjacent teet h was important for the position of the unopposed molar in a mesiodistal or buccolingual direction. Molar rotation was more frequent in the maxilla, w hereas tipping was more common in the mandible. Conclusion: It is concluded that not all molars without antagonists overerupt, not even in a long-term perspective.