Abstract
We conducted dental, periodontal, and occlusal examinations of 84 professional baseball players to examine the relationship between oral health and occlusal condition. Occlusal force, contact area, pressure, and balance were measured using pressure-sensitive sheets. The occlusal force and contact area decreased as the numbers of decayed and missing teeth increased. The occlusal pressure tended to increase with the numbers of decayed and missing teeth, while the number of severe dental caries was significantly inversely correlated with the occlusal force (p<0.05). When the subjects with dental caries on only one side of the mouth (left or right) were examined, the occlusal force (p=0.02) and contact area (p=0.01) on the side with the decayed teeth were significantly smaller than on the opposite side. Conversely, the maximum (p=0.03) and average (p=0.09) occlusal pressures were greater on the side with the decayed teeth. The results indicate that severely decayed teeth, or a decrease in the number of teeth, influence not only the occlusal force, but also the balance in the occlusal condition between the left and right sides of the mouth.
