Glossary
Malocclusion
Teeth that do not meet as they should: crowding, overbite, crossbite. Jaws have shortened since farming while tooth size changes only over millennia, and in animals soft food crowds teeth.
Published Updated
Where this comes from
In the reference topic that owns this term
Reference topic 16, The Shrinking Face, states the mismatch as a card: what the system evolved to expect, what it gets instead, and what happens in the gap.
Mismatch card
- What it expects
Hard chewing from childhood, teeth that wear flat, a clear nose, little free sugar.
- What it gets
Soft processed food, fork-cut mouthfuls, industrial flour and sugar, and more body weight pressing on the airway.
- What happens in the gap
Jaws that fall short of their teeth (crowding, impacted wisdom teeth), retained overbites, widespread decay, and possibly, alongside weight, some sleep apnea.
What that chapter recommends
3 of the 7 graded recommendations in Reference topic 16, strongest evidence first. How the grades work.
Take a snoring child seriously
StrongEvidence grade: Strong. Multiple randomized controlled trials, or consistent large cohort studies with a well-understood mechanism.Pediatric guidelines call for screening all children for snoring, and a sleep study for those with other signs of apnea.
Adults: know the three signs
StrongEvidence grade: Strong. Multiple randomized controlled trials, or consistent large cohort studies with a well-understood mechanism.Loud snoring, observed pauses or gasping, and daytime sleepiness warrant a doctor's visit and possibly a sleep study.
Treat excess weight
StrongEvidence grade: Strong. Multiple randomized controlled trials, or consistent large cohort studies with a well-understood mechanism.A 10% weight loss predicted a 26% fall in the apnea index; drug treatment belongs with a prescriber.
The argument behind this term, its studies and its notes are in Reference topic 16 of the reference library. The book gives the practical version. Get the book.