The Effect of Selective Occlusal Adjustment on the Disclusion Time Reduction and Symmetry of Occlusal Contacts of the Own Dentition Using Digital Occlusion Analysis in Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders

TL;DR

This study shows that adjusting bite contact through enameloplasty reduces disclusion time and improves occlusal symmetry in patients with temporomandibular disorders.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the effectiveness of digital occlusal analysis-guided enameloplasty in improving occlusal parameters in TMD patients.

Findings

Selective enameloplasty significantly reduced disclusion time from 0.8 to 0.4 seconds.

Greater improvement was observed in patients with an inappropriate Center of Force and premature occlusal contacts.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Occlusal disturbances occurring during central occlusion, mandibular movements and mastication may contribute to the development of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). To reduce the disclusion time (DT) in all mandibular contacts, a procedure known as enameloplasty can be applied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of occlusion-correcting treatments on disclusion time reduction, determination of the center of force, and the distribution of masticatory forces on the right and left side, through digital occlusal analysis in patients with TMD. Methods: The single-centered, prospective study including 106 patients with TMD after 6 months of prosthetic treatment. Digital occlusal analysis was performed before and after the enameloplasty to assess occlusion time, disclusion time and symmetry of occlusal contacts. Results: Selective enameloplasty significantly reduced disclusion time in the whole study population (0.8 vs. 0.4 s; p < 0.001), with greater improvement observed in patients with inappropriate Center of Force (COF) and premature occlusal contacts. Conclusions: Digital occlusal analysis-guided selective enameloplasty effectively reduces disclusion time and can improve occlusal parameters in TMD patients.

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