Dental Occlusion Influences the Standing Balance on an Unstable Platform
in Motor ControlClick name to view affiliation
Contradictory results are still reported on the influence of dental occlusion on the balance control. We attempted to determine whether there are differences in balance between opposed dental occlusion (Intercuspal position (ICP)/“Cotton rolls” mandibular position [CR]) for two extreme levels of stability (stable/unstable). Twenty-five subjects were monitored under both dental occlusion and level of stability conditions using an unstable platform Balance System SD. The resulting stability index suggests that body balance is significantly better when dental occlusion is set in CR (p < .001) in unstable but not in stable conditions. Occlusal traits significantly influencing postural control were Angle Class (p < .001), crowding (p = .006), midline deviation (p < .001), crossbite (p < .001), anterior open bite (p = .05), and overjet (p = .01). It could be concluded that the sensory information linked to the dental occlusion for the balance control comes strongly into effect in unstable conditions.
Julià-Sánchez, Álvarez-Herms, Pagès, and Viscor are with the Dept. of Physiology and Immunology, University of Barcelona, Spain. Gatterer and Burtscher are with the Dept. of Sport Science, Medical Section, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
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