Background: Orthodontic correction is usually focused on dental esthetics; however, masticatory function is an important parameter to assess the success of treatment. The main objective of this study is to determine if an association exists between malocclusion and chewing sounds, after being assessed with three different food types. How far a malocclusion alters an individual's chewing nature can aid us in assessing the potential of teeth alignment in mastication and the consequence of orthodontic correction on the same. Methodology: The study was conducted on three groups of patients (Class I normal occlusion, Class I with increased overjet, and Class II div 1). The patients were asked to chew three types of food items; apple, biscuit, and peanut. The recordings were taken inside an acoustically treated soundproof box using an AKG HC 577 L microphone with a sampling frequency of 44.1 kHz in mono with 32 bits per sample. The recordings were analyzed using WavePad FFT software in a Mac laptop and plotted as a spectrogram using the Hanning window function. Results: The results showed that there was no significant difference between the groups for all the three types of food materials. Conclusion: The results of this study showed insignificant association between malocclusion and masticatory sounds. A more comprehensive study with a larger sample size will be needed to analyze the results further.

SUMMARY: Background: Condylar fracture have been probably the most mismanaged fractures throughout history. They were either not treated because of improper diagnosis or were managed minimally using external bandages to immobilise the mandible. If left untreated, condylar fractures lead to temporomandibular disorders like ankylosis, dysfunction, chronic dislocation and chronic pain. Even though many authors classify condylar fractures based on their location, no literature currently exists in determining the exact cause which ascertains the location of the fracture line. In this study we attempted to analyse if the presence or absence of posterior teeth is in any way related to the anatomic level of condylar fractures. Materials and Methods: 200 Orthopantomographic images of patients who presented to the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery with condylar fracture from the year 2017-2021 were collected from the medical records department. Out of these 200 OPGs 170 images where finally selected based on the inclusion criteria. Presence or absence of posterior teeth and the total number of missing posterior teeth were calculated and subjected to statistical analysis. Results: Diacapitular fractures were common in patients with no missing teeth and sub condylar fractures were found in patients with absence of posterior teeth hence validating our hypothesis that the number of missing posterior teeth are indeed associated with the level of condylar fractures and that, missing maxillary posteriors, mandibular posteriors, premolars and molars all statistical significantly independently correlated with the level of condylar fracture. Conclusion: In condylar fractures, the level of fracture line is influenced by the presence or absence of posterior teeth. The teeth are usually neglected as they are considered as an accessory aid and not an integral component of the facial skeleton. Proving that the teeth are involved in a complex mechanism which protects the Temporo- Mandibular joint from traumatic forces on the mandible will further solidify their position as an integral functional component and shift the focus towards preserving rather than removing them whenever possible.

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