Reaction of mastication to occlusal changes induced by correction of mandibular prognathism

Incisor-point masticatory movements of 22 patients were recorded before and after correction of mandibular prognathism. Chewing patterns and movement parameters were compared between preoperative and postoperative states and to corresponding quantities of 85 persons with normal dentitions. The prognathism patients most frequently revealed "chopping-type" patterns characterized by nearly vertical closing strokes, whereas mastication in the reference group was dominated by lateral grinding-type movements. There were no significant differences in the pattern distributions and parameter values between the preoperative and postoperative states. An individual assessment, considering random fluctuations of chewing behavior, showed that only five patients had changed their chewing mode possibly because of the treatment. Only a minor part of these changes could be directly related to the altered occlusion. It is concluded that the characteristic chewing mode of persons with mandibular prognathism does not interfere with the occlusal profile, and hence does not react to alterations.