Occlusal Conditions Just After the Relief of Temporomandibular Joint Clicking

ABSTRACT

When the signs and symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) are present, the possibility that occlusal position and mandibular movements are changed is considerable. Accordingly, the presence of occlusal interferences may be misjudged. It is therefore reasonable to consider that occlusal conditions should be examined just after the relief of symptoms. A comparison of occlusal condition in 45 patients with eminence clicking with a group of 60 asymptomatic controls was made. An occlusal examination was administered to the patient group just after the relief of clicking using bite plane therapy alone. The number of occlusal teeth in ICP (intercuspal position) for the patient group was significantly lower than for the controls, and the frequency of no contact of canines on the working side in the patient group was higher than that in the control group. This suggested that in order to avoid the recurrence of eminence clicking, efforts should be made to raise the number of contact teeth in ICP and to make canines on the working side come into contact.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tetsunori Fujii

Tetsunori Fujii received his D.D.S. degree in 1979 and a Ph.D. in 1983 from the Kyushu Dental College. Currently, he is an assistant professor in the Department of Removable Prosthodontics, Nagasaki University School of Dentistry, Japan.