Occlusion in patients with temporomandibular joint anterior disk displacement.

The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between the static and dynamic occlusal factors in patients with anterior disk displacement (DD) and to compare it with occlusion in asymptomatic individuals. The study included a group of 40 patients with DD (median age 35.5) and a control group of 25 students of dental medicine (median age 23.4). In all subjects, the position, i.e. DD was determined by magnetic resonance imaging of temporomandibular joints. The study was focused on data gathered by direct analysis of occlusion: relationship between the molars (Angle class), horizontal and vertical overlap, preservation of occlusal contacts between the molars (Eichner classification), difference between contact points in maximal intercuspidation and centric position, and contact points on the laterotrusive and mediotrusive side. There was a statistically significant difference in tooth contact in maximal intercuspidation and centric positions between patients and asymptomatic subjects (p < 0.0001). There was also a difference between occlusal contact points on the mediotrusive side (p < 0.05) since the hyperbalanced contacts were only determined in asymptomatic subjects. Study results support the fact that a number of occlusal factors are related to DD. The fact that hyperbalanced contacts were only determined in asymptomatic subjects suggests that their mutual etiopathogenetic correlation is not quite clear.