Difference between revisions of "Influence of the Text Neck Posture on the Static Dental Occlusion"

A widely debated topic in the literature is whether or not changes in head and neck posture have a significant influence on dental occlusion. However, the effect of ''text neck posture'' (TNP) on occlusion has been overlooked in the dental literature. Chapman et al. (1991) used the T-Scan system to record and analyze the occlusal contacts that occur in ''maximum intercuspation'' (MI) in three different head positions: supine, sitting erect, and sitting with the head tipped forward.<ref>Chapman R.J., Maness W.L., Osorio J. Occlusal contact variation with changes in head position. Int. J. Prosthodont. 1991;4:377–381.</ref> They proved that the mandible is pushed forward during closure when the head is tipped forward, resulting in more anterior initial contacts. However, the total number of occlusal contacts in MI was not significantly modified by the postural change. This means that the main effect of a changed head position was on the initial tooth contacts, which guide the mandible back into MI from eccentric positions. The authors speculated that the location of the first occlusal contacts in the anterior region of the dental arches during closure (i.e., when the head is tipped forward) could produce occlusal overload of the individual teeth. Therefore, they are expected to alter the activity of the elevator muscles.