DISCREPANCY BETWEEN CENTRIC RELATION AND HABITUAL OCCLUSION AND TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DISORDER SYMPTOMS.

Introduction. The objectives of this study were to assess the relationship between centric relation-habitual occlusion discrepancy and temporomandibular disorder symptoms, the spatial planes in which the discrepancy is encountered and the correlation between gender and muscle pain. Materials and methods. Thirty subjects (14 females, 16 males), aged between 20-30 years, were clinically evaluated, as follows: muscle (temporalis, masseter, lateral and medial pterygoid) and temporomandibular joint examination, occlusal (static and dynamic) relationships, centric relation. Casts were mounted in centric relation using an articulator and then three-dimensionally analyzed. Results and discussion. Muscle pain was found in 57.14% females and 37.5% males. Discrepancy was higher in subjects with pain in all planes (transversal 0.92 mm vs. 0.26 mm [correlation coefficient=0.897]; sagittal 0.94 mm vs. 0.85 mm [correlation coefficient=0.249]; vertical 1.15 mm vs. 0.36 mm [correlation coefficient=0.504]) and similar in males and females. Conclusions. Transversal discrepancy was associated with muscle pain. Muscle pain and discrepancy were not correlated with gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]