RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of occlusal force on the etiology of open bite patients who suffer from temporomandibular disorders (TMD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and two women patients with open bite were divided into TMD (+) group and TMD (-) group according to patients with or without TMD. Occlusal force, occlusal contact areas, occlusal average pressure and occlusal center were evaluated with pressure sensitive sheets. The results were analyzed by SPSS 11.0 statistic software.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Occlusal force and occlusal contact areas in TMD (+) group were significantly lower than that in TMD (-) group. Occlusal average pressure and occlusal center had no significance between two groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results indicate that the decrease of occlusal force and occlusal contact areas may have some relationships with TMD in open bite patients.</p>