Physiological Tooth Migration and its Significance for the Development of Occlusion

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Abstract
The development of occlusion was studied in 60 children. Through comparative measurements of serial plaster reproductions of their dental arches before, during and after the eruption of the first permanent molars, 3 mechanisms of normal occlusal adjustment were found: The occurrence of a terminal plane forming a mesial step in the deciduous denture allowed the first permanent molars to erupt directly into proper occlusion without altering the position of the neighboring teeth; the presence of a mandibular primate space and a straight terminal plane was conducive to proper molar occlusion by means of an early mesial shift of the mandibular deciduous molars into the primate space upon eruption of the lower first permanent molar; and closed deciduous arches and a straight terminal plane resulted in a transitory end-to-end relationship of the first permanent molars. Proper occlusion was effected through a late mesial shift of the mandibular permanent 1st molars subsequent to the shedding of the deciduous 2d molars. Migration of the lower deciduous and permanent molars constituted the physiol. measure to secure proper occlusion of the permanent molars. There was no mesial shift of the mandible as indicated by the unchanged antero-posterior relationship of the opposing deciduous cuspids. Function and abrasion had less bearing on the molar adjustment than widely assumed. The anatomical pattern of the deciduous arches controlled the ability of the deciduous and permanent molars to migrate mesially as a result of the eruptive force of the accessional teeth.
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