Thejaw pain, diastemas(when a space is opened between two adjoining teeth, especially between theincisors and premolars) or crowding of the teeth are problems that worry dentistsand dental health experts. Another recurring problem is that of occlusion, which is nothing more thanthe bite or the way the teeth of both jaws meet, upper and lower. Well, two new studies carried out by Spanish and German researchers affirm that dental occlusion has a lot to do withcontrol of body posture and balancein general. In dental consultations, more and more problems related to a bad bite are diagnosed, such as deviations from the midline, diastemas, crowding, crossbite or missing teeth. Dental occlusion, as we said, is the contact that is established between the upper and lower teeth when the mouth is closed. When we close it, our teeth can be perfectly aligned or present various types of alterations.
Research carried out in collaboration between the Department of Physiology of the University of Barcelona and the University of Innsbruck (Austria) confirm a statistically not very high relationship between an imperfect bite and postural control. But the figures increase when certain conditions occur in the patient,such as fatigue or instability.According to Sonia Julià-Sánchez, main author of the studies and researcher at the Catalan institution, what is relevant about the study is that occlusion has been related to different motor and physiological alterations. The studies, published inMotor ControlYNeuroscience Letters, reveal that if the malocclusions are corrected and the mandibular position is brought to a neutral point, postural control is improved both in static balance and in movement.
On a daily basis, this relationship is not so directly appreciated in static conditions, although there may be circumstances associated with pathologies, such as obesity, that aggravate body instability and worsen posture control and increase the risk of falls. In athletes, the relationship can be decisive both in the final performance and in the prevention of injuries such as sprains, strains and fractures, due to unexpected imbalances as fatigue increases and motor response capacity decreases.
Hence, it can be useful both for the general population and for athletes to correct dental occlusion to improve postulate control and avoid possible falls or imbalances due to lack of reaction of the motor system. According to the aforementioned expert, posture control is the result of a complex system that includes different sensor and motor components that come from visual, somatosensory and vestibular information.
In recent yearsScientists have become increasingly concerned with the relationship between the stomatognathic system (the set of organs and tissues that allow eating, speaking, chewing, swallowing and smiling) and the control of posture. The link may have a neurophysiological explanation, since there is a reciprocal influence between the trigeminal nerve and the vestibular nucleus – responsible for the masticatory function and the control of balance respectively -, andbetween the chewing and cervical muscles.This influence would explain why dental malocclusions impair postural control. But so far the investigations had not been conclusive. The problem stems from the fact that most of the studies had assessed balance in a static way and under conditions of total stability, which in practice has little real application regarding the control of posture in action, Julià-Sánchez points out.
