Evolution in time of the relationship between occlusion and tooth absence

The evolution in time of the relationship between occlusion tooth absence was studied in 204 people in Salamanca, in 1996. The data collected in an oral test (biting in maximal intercuspidation on articulating paper) were analysed using the method called expansion-contraction systems. The results show that the loss of occlusion through time is directly related to the absence of premolars and molars. Incisors and canines occlude more in elderly people. This supports the view of a polarization in the evolution of the occlusion towards canines and premolars whereas tooth absence is polarized towards molars.