A three-dimensional comparison of condylar position changes between centric relation and centric occlusion using the mandibular position indicator.

The mandibular position indicator (MPI) was used to compare condylar position between centric relation (CR) and centric occlusion (CO) for 107 patients before orthodontic treatment. The MPI data were examined to determine frequency, direction, and magnitude of CO-CR difference; and data were analyzed for possible correlation to the patient's Angle classification, ANB angular measurement, age, or gender. Only one patient (0.9%) had no measurable CO-CR difference in all three spatial planes. Six subjects (5.6%) showed a shift in condylar position in the transverse plane without a measurable difference in the sagittal plane. Twenty patients (18.7%) experienced a superoinferior (SI) or anteroposterior (AP) condylar displacement of at least 2.0 mm on one or both sides; 17 (15.9%) displayed a transverse shift at the level of the condyles of 0.5 mm or greater. No statistical difference was found between the 31 patients with Class I malocclusions and 72 patients with Class II malocclusions when comparing the amount or direction of CO-CR change. The amount of CO-CR difference was nearly identical for right and left sides with the amount of SI displacement (x = 0.84 mm) consistently greater than AP displacement (x = 0.61 mm). Only weak correlations were found between movements of right and left condyles. The average transverse CO-CR difference was 0.27 mm. Patient age, ANB angle, gender, or Angle classification cannot be used to predict frequency, magnitude, or direction of CO-CR changes at the level of the condyles.