Malocclusion Rethought — Occlusal Dysmorphisms

Malocclusion Rethought

From “Malocclusion” to a broader paradigm: Occlusal Dysmorphisms.

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Malocclusion Rethought

"Malocclusion" (from Latin malum = bad) traditionally labels an improper “closure” of teeth. Yet modern clinical science shows that function cannot be reduced to mechanics alone. Electrophysiological findings (e.g., symmetry in motor-evoked potentials, jaw-jerk, and silent period) often reveal balanced trigeminal dynamics even in the presence of occlusal discrepancies.

This challenges the conventional label “malocclusion” and supports a broader concept: Occlusal Dysmorphisms. Within a complex-systems view of mastication, neuromuscular coherence can coexist with occlusal asymmetries, urging interdisciplinary diagnostics that integrate occlusion with neurophysiology to achieve stable outcomes and reduce relapses.

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  Fig. 1a: Open bite and crossbite case (occlusal view).

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  Fig. 1b: Bilateral MEP symmetry in masseter muscles.

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  Fig. 1c: Jaw-jerk reflex indicating functional symmetry.

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  Fig. 1d: Mechanical silent period (balanced neuromuscular dynamics).

📑 References

• Interdisciplinary diagnostics of malocclusions — Smaglyuk et al., 2019
• Anterior open bite review — Reichert et al., 2014
• Early crossbite protocols — Miamoto et al., 2018

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