Relationship Between Dental Occlusion Class, Head Position and Body Posture of The Upper Part of the Body

Abstract

The close anatomical and neuronal (sensory and motor) linkage between the upper cervical spine and the craniofacial section documented in literature accounts for relationships between the jaw position and the inclination of the cervical spine. The issue of relationships between dental occlusion, body posture and temporomandibular disorders is a controversial topic in dentistry, and it is often a source of speculations. A description of the available knowledge about the physiology of the body posture – dental occlusion relationship is fundamental to discuss the possible diagnostic and therapeutic implications of the assessment of body posture in subjects with occlusal abnormalities or patients with temporomandibular disorders. The orthostatic position of the skull is kept by a complex muscular mechanism involving head, neck and shoulder girdle muscles. Since TMJ, cervical spine and occlusion are intimately related, a functional abnormality or the position of one of them may affect the function or the position of the others (Baião da Neiva et al., 2011). Object of the study: relationship between dental occlusion class, head position and body posture of the upper part of the body. Aim of the study: to determine relationship between dental occlusion class, head position and body posture of upper part of the body. Methods and organization of the study: The study involved 52 subjects. Participants were divided into two age groups: first group (n = 42, 20–28 years) and second group (n = 10, 45–49). 1987 W. W. K. Hoeger subjective volunteer’s posture evaluation model, where the deviation from the norm was defined by score, was chosen for the evaluation. Also the posture was rated digitally. Subjects’ photographs of posture were rated by software AutoCAD 2013 programme. Dental occlusion was assessed according to Angle classification. Conclusion: No strong, statistically significant linkage between the evaluated parameters were found. Additional research is needed to ground scientifically based relationship between masticatory system, musculoskeletal system and body posture.

Keywords: dental occlusion class, head position, body posture.