[Optimization of the final lingual occlusion: an analysis]

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics
• Dental Occlusion

Background:

• Orthodontic treatment goals include functional, aesthetic, and stable occlusion.
• Current analysis often focuses on the buccal side, neglecting the lingual aspect.

Purpose of the Study:

• To emphasize the critical role of lingual occlusion in orthodontic treatment.
• To propose a new protocol for analyzing lingual static occlusion using orthodontic casts.

Main Methods:

• Review of ideal static occlusion objectives from literature and scientific societies.
• Evaluation of existing methods for lingual static occlusion analysis.
• Development of a novel protocol for carving orthodontic casts to assess lingual occlusion.

Main Results:

• Existing literature and scientific societies provide insufficient detail on lingual occlusion end-of-treatment objectives.
• Simple methods for studying lingual occlusion are available but underutilized.

Conclusions:

• Lingual occlusion is crucial for the long-term success and stability of orthodontic treatments.
• Its underestimation in daily practice stems from the difficulty of direct intraoral examination.