Dental Occlusion Essay

For nearly a century the diversity of concepts about normal and ideal dental occlusal relationships has led to confusion in trying to describe the occlusion of any individual patient. In addition a similar controversy arises when trying to formulate treatment plans for patients who need complex dental treatment. And finally the application of occlusion concepts to patient's temporomandibular pain and dysfunction has created a third area of debate. Over the past few decades, many of the occlusion schemes have been challenged and therefore the acceptance of functional variability of the stomatognathic system has gained increasing support. (1)

Since the emergence of modern dentistry the study of dental occlusion has been a subject of major interest as it is known that clinical knowledge of dental occlusion is very important for clinical practice in all disciplines. A critical assessment requires a review of the historical evolution surrounding the concepts and theories of occlusion in formative …show more content…
Centric relation has been described by Davies and Gray , in three different ways - anatomic, conceptual, geometric. Anatomical definition is the most used one where the head of condyle is described to be in the superior most and fore most position in the fossa. Though it is debatable as some clinicians prefer the position to be midmost and some prefer rear most. Conceptual definition is the position of the mandible relative to the maxilla when the muscles that support the mandible are at their most relaxed and least strained position and this definition supports the concept of qualitative relationship between the jaw position and other joint elements. Geometrical definition describes the position of the mandible when head of the condyle is in the terminal hinge