THE JAW IS ESSENTIAL IN THE REGULATION OF NORMAL BODY POSTURE. THE SWALLOW SERVES AS A NEUROMUSCULAR RESETTING MECHANISM THAT CAN CORRECT OR CAUSE POSTURAL PROBLEMS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE BODY.
THERE ARE ONLY THREE MAJOR SET POINTS IN THE BODY FOR NEUROMUSCULARLY RESETTING POSTURE. ONE IS THE BITE WHEN WE SWALLOW APPROXIMATELY 2000 TIMES A DAY. THE SECOND IS OUR FEET /LEGS /HIPS WHEN WE STAND AND THE THIRD IS THE HIPS WHEN WE SIT.
THE QUADRANT THEOREM OF GUZAY EXPLAINS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE JAW TO FULL BODY POSTURE IN MATHEMATICAL AND ENGINEERING TERMS.
IT IS EASIER FOR THE LAY PERSON TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE JAW BY IMAGINING STANDING ON THE DOCTORS SCALE. THE 100 POUND MARKER IS SET, THEN THE TEN POUND MARKER IS SET, AND FINALLY THE ONE POUND MARKER IS SET TILL THE SCALE PERFECTLY BALANCES.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT IF YOU MOVE THAT ONE POUND WEIGHT JUST A LITTLE TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT THE SCALE DOES NOT GO A LITTLE OUT OF BALANCE IT GOES "KLUNK" EITHER UP OR DOWN DEPENDING ON WHICH WAY YOU MOVED THE WEIGHT.
ION A SIMILAR MANNER THE JAW DOES THE SAME THING FOR HEAD POSITION AND WHOLE BODY POSTURE. PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NECK, JAW OR HEADACHE PAIN COULD BE DESCRIBED AS HAVING BEEN "KLUNKED"
UNLIKE THE SCALE WHICH ONLY MOVES IN TWO DIRECTIONS THE JAW CAN BE DISPLACED ANTERIOR-POSTERIORLY, VERTICALLY TOO CLOSE OR TOO FAR APART (VERTICAL DIMENSION). SIDE TO SIDE OR OBLIQUELY. IT CAN ALSO BE TIPPED SIDE TO SIDE. FRONT TO BACK OR OBLIQUELY AND IT CAN BE ROTATED IN EITHER DIRECTION ON THE HORIZONTAL PLANE.
NEUROMUSCULAR DENTISTRY HAS THE TOOLS TO UNDERSTAND AND UNWIND THE POSTURAL ABBERATIONS AND ALLOW A RETURN TO A NORMAL PHYSIOLOGIC STATE. THIS IS WHERE HEALING CAN OCCUR ALLOWING LONG TERM RESOLUTION OF THE PATIENTS PROBLEMS.
THIS IS AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION BECAUSE ALL OF THE PROBLEMS IN JAW POSTURE ARE ALSO RELATED TO HEAD POSITION. AN EVALUATION OF THE ATLAS/AXIS RELATIONSHIP CAN BE INVALUABLE IN TREATING POSTURAL DISCREPANCIES,
THE FIRST STEP, FROM A NEUROMUSCULAR DENTISTRY APPOACH IS TO USE TECHNOLOGY TO MEASURE JAW POSITION AND FUNCTION AND TO DESIGN A DIAGNOSTIC NEUROMUSCULAR ORTHOTIC THAT ALLOWS THE HEALING PROCESS TO BEGIN. AS HEALING OCCURS HEAD AND NECK POSTURE WILL CONTINUALLY CHANGE UNTIL A NEW HOMEOSTASIS IS REACHED.
FREQUENTLY, TOTAL POSTURA; CORRECTION MAY INVOLVE ORTHOTICS FOR SHOES OR EVEN FOR "BUTT LIFTS" FOR SITTING. THE PODIATRIST CAN SERVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN POSTUROLOGY AS CAN GAIT ANALYSIS. EVEN THE OPTICIAN CAN PROVIDE A VITAL LINK IN HEALING FOR PATIENTS WHOSE POSTURE IS ADVERSELY EFFECTED BY EYEGLASSES AND HOW WELL THEY FIT PATIENTS WORK AND LIFESTYLE FUNCTIONS. MASSAGE THERAPISTS AND EXERCISE THERAPISTS FREQUENTLY ALLOW COMPLETE HEALING AND HELP ESTABLISH A HEALTHY PHYSIOLOGY.
THE FOLLOWING PUBMED ABSTRACT FROM CRANIO DISCUSSES SOME OF THE POSTURAL ISSUES ON JUST THE FORWARD BACKWARD POSITION OF THE JAW. CLASS 2 IS BACKWARD POSITION, CLASS 3 IS FOWARD POSITION AND CLASS 1 IS NORMAL POSITION. THIS IS ONLY DISCUSSING SKELETAL POSITION HOWEVER AND NOT TRUE PHYSIOLOGIC POSITION THAT WOULD BE MESURED WITH NEUROMUSCULAR DENTAL MEASUREMENTS OF EMG AND MKG OR COMPUTERIZED MANDIBULAR SCAN.
Cranio. 2005 Jul;23(3):219-28.
Evaluation of cervical posture of children in skeletal class I, II, and III.
D'Attilio M, Caputi S, Epifania E, Festa F, Tecco S.
Source
Department of Orthodontics, University of Chieti, Italy.
Abstract
Previous studies on the relationship between morphological structure of the face and cervical posture have predominantly focused on vertical dimensions of the face. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there are significant differences in cervical posture in subjects with a different sagittal morphology of the face, i.e., a different skeletal class. One hundred twenty (120) children (60 males and 60 females, average age 9.5 yrs., SD+/-0.5) were admitted for orthodontic treatment. Selection criteria was: European ethnic origin, date of birth, considerable skeletal growth potential remaining and an absence of temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD). Lateral skull radiographs were taken in mirror position. Subjects were divided into three groups based on their skeletal class. The cephalometric tracings included postural variables. The most interesting findings were: 1. children in skeletal class III showed a significantly lower cervical lordosis angle (p<0.001) than the children in skeletal class I and skeletal class II; 2. children in skeletal class II showed a significantly higher extension of the head upon the spinal column compared to children in skeletal class I and skeletal class III (p<0.001 and p<0.01, respectively). This is probably because the lower part of their spinal column was straighter than those of subjects in skeletal class I and II (p<0.01 and p<0.001, respectively). Significant differences among the three groups were also observed in the inclination of maxillary and mandibular bases to the spinal column. The posture of the neck seems to be strongly associated with the sagittal as well as the vertical structure of the face.
PMID: 16128357 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
