Occlusal characteristics in facial pain cases and controls - 12-year follow-up of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort (NFBC) 1966.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the occlusal characteristics in Finnish adults at 12-year follow-up based on the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966) subjects.Methods: The occlusal analyses were performed at ages 34 and 46 years of facial pain cases (n = 52) and controls (n = 49) by two different methods.Results: At 12-year follow-up, a significant decrease in upper anterior segment peer assessment rating (PAR) score was found in the controls, indicating improvement in teeth alignment. In facial pain cases, left lateral occlusal relationship and midline asymmetry were significantly decreased. Occlusal asymmetry and overjet were significantly increased. In controls, the left canine showed a more normal occlusal relationship, cuspid asymmetry was changed, and midline asymmetry was significantly decreased.Conclusion: During a 2-year period, occlusal asymmetry and overjet increased significantly in facial pain cases, while occlusal relationship showed more normal characteristics in controls.