The relationship of canine-protected occlusion to a periodontal index.

A clinical evaluation was made on 1,000 teeth in 100 patients with Angle's Class I occlusion who were free from histories of orthodontics, removable or fixed prosthesis, occlusal equilibration, maxillary or mandibular jaw fractures, and systemic diseases. The study was made to determine if there was a relation between their patterns of disclusion and a periodontal disease index. In this study, 14% of the subjects exhibited canine protection, 16% a pattern called progressive disclusion, 46% group function, and 24% a different disclusion pattern on each side. The teeth of mouths having canine-protected occlusions had significantly lower mean periodontal disease index scores than the teeth of mouths having progressive disclusion or group function. Also, the canines and the molars in the canine-protected group exhibited lower mean periodontal disease index scores than their counterparts in the progressive disclusion or group function categories.