Wear in the upper and lower incisors in relation to incisal and condylar guidance.

The incisors of 85 patients were examined for tooth wear with the aim to evaluate possible association between the degree of wear and anterior guidance. Apart from clinical functional analysis electronic axiography using the system CADIAX was carried out. Anterior guidance in protrusive movement was marked on individually mounted plaster casts and scanned using a pantograph. The cephalometric analysis program CADIAS was used for the metric determination of the anterior guidance angle to the axis-orbital plane, and in order to relate the anterior guidance to the horizontal condylar inclination. The interincisal angle was included in the evaluation as a further functional angle and according to overjet and overbite there were classified typical incisor relations. Where both anterior guidance and incisor inclination and relation were in the normal range, there was an increase in incisal tooth wear in the group investigated. With reduced functional space, frequently found together with anterior deep bite, incisor wear was less extensive. While the occurrence of parafunction was shown not to be related to anterior guidance and incisor inclination and relation parafunctions were the decisive factor in the occurrence of severe incisor wear. Where anterior guidance and incisor inclination and relation are normal, the area of enamel under load is smaller and the space for bruxism larger. Parafunctional forces thus appear to result in a higher degree of wear than is found with the reduced functional space of a steep incisor position. Anterior guidance could not be evaluated as a parafunctonal inducing factor, but only as determining the wear pattern in the individual.