Comparison of occlusion in medieval and present-day populations in southeast France

Two groups living in southeast France several centuries apart were compared to assess changes in occlusion from medieval times to the present day. The present-day sample included 82 people, and the medieval sample included the skulls of 58 people who lived between the 8th and the 17th centuries. Variations in tooth contacts were examined in accordance with Angle classification. A decrease in Class III occlusion (mesioclusion) was noted from medieval to present-day populations. The rate of Class II occlusion (distoclusion) has increased progressively and has became a general feature in the present-day population (34%). Although the rate of Class I occlusion has generally decreased from proto-historic and medieval times to the present day, it is still the highest percentage (45%) and thus the "normal" reference in European populations. This study highlights distoclusion in human teeth and allowed us to ask questions about functional, genetic, psychological, and environmental factors that cause this malocclusion as opposed to the global harmony that Angle described. (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2001;120:585-7)