A clinical study of the relationship between occlusal curvature and craniomandibular disorders.

The occlusal curvature should be harmonized with stomatognathic function, but excessive occlusal curvatures are found in some craniomandibular disorder patients. Forty healthy subjects and 95 patients with craniomandibular disorder (50 with clicking, 25 with locking, and 20 with myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome) were evaluated to investigate the functional significance of the occlusal curvature. Anteroposterior and lateral occlusal curvature were measured using the least-square approximation of the mandibular buccal cusps in a second-order quadratic and modification of Monson's 4-inch sphere. "Clicking" and "locking" groups had significantly greater occlusal curvatures than healthy subjects. There appeared to be a relationship between occlusal curvature and craniomandibular disorders.