Breakthrough of premature contact

Abstract

On the one hand a suspicion of the traumatic force damaging the periodontal tissue is often raised, as though it were apparent; on the other hand, the international consensus on the cause of periodontal disease treats the occlusal trauma only as a “modifier". This consensus, howsoever, does not match our clinical intuition and experience. This misfit is due to the fact that the current consensus on the cause of periodontal disease has leaned heavily on findings from the animal testing 40 years ago when research on pathophysiology of periodontal disease, periodontal ligament and dental cement was scarce. Hence, even todayʼs definition of occlusal trauma has not definite place within the classification of periodontal disease. This review article summarizes the research on tooth mobility, periodontal ligament, and dental cement carried out up until 2011 by Kyushu dental university; the research pointed out that the course of development of premature contacts can be classified into 5 different categories. In addition, a functional recovery of periodontal ligament by basic treatment leads to improvement of bite force as well as an increase in cerebral blood flow. This research complements the current concept of the occlusal trauma.