Evaluation of the relationship between the occlusal vertical dimension and temporomandibular joint disorders

Objectives: This study was devised to assess the relationships between the Turkish population's occlusal vertical dimension and temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Materials: and Methods: This study evaluated the questionnaire forms and clinical examination results of 114 individuals who had applied to the clinic and accepted the inclusion criteria. Diagnostic Criteria/Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) forms were filled up for each patient. Clinical examinations were performed with the help of the DC/TMD Clinical Examination Form and finalized with an extraoral examination. An extensive statistical analysis was conducted, and the results were evaluated as p < 0.05. Results: : This study demonstrated that the occlusal vertical dimension is low in 35.09% of the individuals and high in 18.42% of individuals living in Turkish society. The vertical dimension proved to be significantly related to depression (p = 0.035) and the cause of the movement pain (p = 0.02). However, the relationship between the occlusal vertical dimension and TMD disorders was not statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions: : In contrast to the typical expectations, there is no relationship between the occlusal vertical dimension and TMD. No statistically significant relationship was found between the vertical dimension and the tooth wear. It appears to be that the dentoalveolar compensation theory can explain this. Clinical Relevance: Since the tooth wear affects the degeneration of the temporomandibular joints, all clinicians making clinical examinations should be well informed about the relation between tooth wear and TMD.