10:50 – 11:30 HOT TOPIC Parafunctions and Airway – International Symposium on Ceramics

Their Impact on Ceramic Restorations

For decades, parafunction and restorative failure have been predominantly interpreted through an occlusal lens. Interferences, discrepancies in mandibular movements, and occlusal disharmonies were widely considered primary etiologic factors behind bruxism, tooth wear, and ceramic complications. However, contemporary evidence challenges many of these long-held assumptions and compels us to reconsider the biological origins of parafunctional activity.

This lecture explores the evolving understanding of parafunction from a modern, interdisciplinary perspective integrating neuroscience, sleep medicine, airway physiology, and restorative dentistry. Participants will examine the distinction between primary bruxism, driven by central neurocortical mechanisms, and secondary bruxism associated with sleep-disordered breathing, upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of parafunction as a physiological survival response rather than a purely pathological event.
Through a clinically relevant framework, the presentation will demonstrate how airway compromise, adaptive mechanisms, craniofacial compensation, and functional overload influence the long-term prognosis of ceramic restorations. Attendees will gain practical insights into identifying hidden risk factors, avoiding diagnostic pitfalls, and implementing more comprehensive treatment-planning strategies that extend beyond the dentition itself.
Ultimately, this lecture challenges traditional dogmas and proposes a paradigm shift: successful restorative dentistry requires understanding not only how patients bite, but why they function the way they do. Because the teeth may be where damage becomes visible—but they are rarely where the story begins.