Teeth

At preoperative assessment it is noticed that a patient’s top teeth appear to be

abnormally anterior to their bottom teeth. When asked to close their mouth, the tip

of their top central incisors is 12mm anterior to the tip of their bottom central incisors.

Which one of the following terms BEST describes the patient’s condition?

a) Overbite

b) Malocclusion

c) Micrognathia

d) Overjet

e) Overclosure

Answer: d

Explanation

It is important to be able to recognise and accurately describe abnormal dentition. This

scenario describes a substantial overjet. Overclosure is when the mandible rises an

excessive vertical distance on occlusion, such as through the wearing down of teeth

through grinding. Overbite is when the top incisors overlap the bottom incisors in a

vertical plane and is commonly used incorrectly to describe an overjet. This patient

may well have micrognathia and this is a cause of overjet, but there is not enough

evidence to make that assumption here. Malocclusion is a broader term that describes

all the dental conditions in which the teeth misalign on mouth closure. This patient

does have a malocclusion, but describing it as such adds little.