The Bulletín of Kanagawa Dental College

Vol. 37 No. 1       MARCH- 2009

ISSN: 0385-1443      UBIC: 65

ABSTRACT

In clinical dentistry, either following an inadequate occlusal reconstruction or with a rnalocclusion, patients occasionally complain of multifaceted problems, such as headaches, stiff shoulders, giddiness, tinnitus and anxiety or depression. In contrast, some of these disorders are improved by an adequate occlusal reconstruction or splint therapy. These findings suggest that occlusion abnormalities are involved in various general conditions, including psychological disorders. However, there is no direct evidence that there is any relationship between occlusion and these complaints. Accordingly, we reproduced an occlusal dysfunction model in order to create an acutely unpleasant situation by forcing the mandible with a splint into an artificially induced retrusive position. The volunteers were asked to perform voluntary maximum clenching by setting the splint, then brain region activity was mapped and the results examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The findings showed, in some of the healthy volunteers, that there was a significant increase in the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signals in the hypothalamus that are associated with emotion and/or stress. This suggests that malocclusion may chronically influence the whole body through the function of the emotional system and become one of the causes in the multifaceted problem.

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