Occlusal scheme in a group of Thais

PURPOSE To study the distribution of various occlusal schemes as well as associated static occlusal relationship among Thais. MATERIALS AND METHODS The subjects' occlusal schemes on the left and right sides were classified as canine protected occlusion, group function, or unclassified according to the definition from Glossary of Prosthodontic Terms (8(th) edition). In addition, the presence of occlusal interferences during mandibular excursions were recorded. The measurement of the horizontal overlap and vertical overlap was also performed. Chi-square, One-way ANAVA and Mann-Whitney U statistical tests were used with level of significance set at P=.05. RESULTS Total of 104 subjects were included in this study. The ratio for male to female was 1.8 to 1. Average age of the population was 25.01±6.87 years old. The mean vertical overlap and horizontal overlap were 1.94±1.20 and 2.41±1.32 mm respectively. The majority of the populations (68.3%) possessed group function occlusal scheme. For the remaining, 17.3% possess canine protected occlusion and 12.5% possess combination of both occlusal schemes. We also found that occlusal interference was presented in 20.2% of the population. The most common was protrusive interference (57.14%), the second was balancing interference (38.1%) and the third was working interference (4.1%). CONCLUSION Among Thais, the most common occlusal scheme was group function, however there were no significant occlusal factors related to any particular occlusal scheme.