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Dr. DiBenedetto makes a good point that the relationship of occlusion to periodontitis is dependent on the definition of the disease. The Academy of Periodontology defines periodontitis as "inflammation of the supporting tissues of the teeth; usually a progressively destructive change leading to loss of bone and periodontal ligament."¹

While periodontitis is not the only possible cause of bone loss around teeth, our discussion within these articles strictly concerned the relationship between occlusion and inflammatory disease. Similarly, while the term "occlusal trauma" may mean different things depending on one’s perspective, for periodontal purposes, it refers to the injury to the periodontal attachment apparatus as the result of occlusal forces.

We are not aware of any study that has identified differences in buccal recession based on occlusal scheme or occlusal classification; however, Harrel and Nunn² did not find an association between occlusal discrepancies and gingival recession in their 2004 report of patients in a private practice setting.

We thank Dr. DiBenedetto for his interest in this topic.

	REFERENCES

TOP REFERENCES

1. American Academy of Periodontology. Glossary of periodontal terms. 4th ed. Chicago: The American Academy of Periodontology; 2001:39.
   
   
2. Harrel SK, Nunn ME. The effect of occlusal discrepancies on gingival width. J Periodontol 2004;75(1):98–105.[Medline]
   
   

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Deas, D. E. Articles by Mealey, B. L. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Deas, D. E. Articles by Mealey, B. L.