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FUNCTIONAL DENTISTRY

THE SMYLIST® MUSCULO-MANDIBULO-

OCCLUSO- CONDYLAR SYSTEM - MMOCS

Dr. Maria Csillag and Dr. Ajay Kakar

INTRODUCTION
The dental apparatus consists of the maxilla, the mandible, and
the teeth embedded in the maxilla and the mandible, and most
importantly, the muscles attached to the maxilla and the mandible.
In this apparatus, the maxilla has a relatively fixed position in relation
to the skull and the body, while the mandible has a mobile joint that
connects the condyles to the maxillary bone. This connection takes
place due to the “bilaterally symmetrical” muscles attached to the
maxilla and connecting to various strategic locations in the head
and in the body. The mandible has two condyles which attach to the
mandibular fossa by means of ligaments, tendons, and muscles. The
teeth of the maxilla and the mandible intercuspate with each other
when brought into contact. These muscles of the mandible as well as
the maxilla are well studied anatomically but are generally not given
the due importance in how they should perform when moving the
mandible. The muscles are not given the required importance on
how they should function in a “symmetrical” fashion when required.
Thus, the mandibular position, occlusion, and condylar positions Fig 1: The key elements which add up to create the Smylist® MMOCS -
the muscles, the mandible, the dentition and the condyles.
should be considered as the consequence of the balance or imbalance
of all the muscles around the mandible. This entire complex interplay with imbalanced, asymmetrical muscles, with some of them being in a
of structures and their interactions comprises the Smylist® Musculo- state of spasm and probably some of them being overstretched.
Mandibulo-Occluso-Condylar System (MMOCS). This is a critical In the Smylist® concept, the mandible can be in two different states:
understanding of this system. The interplay of these systems and the when it is in centric occlusion/maximum intercuspation, or when it
terminologies used are an outcome of the Smylist® concept which is not symmetrical and not in harmony. If the muscles controlling the
focuses on the muscles related to the mandible and their balance. mandible on both sides are in harmony and balanced, and the mandible
When muscles on either side are symmetrical in function, the has not been forced into any other direction, and the mandible is not
mandibular position is in balance, and when not, it is forced into an rotated to either side or upwards—it is called the Balanced Mandibular
unnatural and disharmonious position. The various terminologies Position or the BMP. In this position, all the teeth contact each other
which have been enumerated, along with their definitions, are used with symmetrical and even load patterns. This occlusal relation has
to describe the position/status of the mandible, the relationship of the been termed the Balanced Occlusal Position or the BOP. In this
maxillary-mandibular teeth (occlusion), and the condylar position position, the condyles will be placed in an optimally symmetrical way,
and their relation to the body. and the condyles are said to be in the Balanced Condylar Position or
Understanding of the mandible in a simplistic way can be done by the BCP. The condyles will no longer be impinging on tissues, nor will
comparing the mandible and its associated muscles to an individual the muscles be in any kind of asymmetry.
who is either completely relaxed and calm, is in a ready condition If the muscles are not in a complete state of harmony and the
to carry out any task, or is being forced by someone else to keep on mandible has been forced away from the balanced position, it indicates
working constantly all the time without any relaxation. Taking this that it has rotated laterally or upwards, and it now is called the Forced
analogy forward, when the individual is in a relaxed and calm state, Mandibular Position or the FMP. In this position, all the involved
the mandibular teeth are not in contact with the maxillary teeth, and muscles are attempting to find the BMP (released and stress-free
the muscles holding the mandible are more or less in a relaxed state position for the muscles) and are continuously and strongly working
and bilaterally symmetrical, without any spasm or overstretching. The against each other. This leads to more overstretching and contraction
second analogy is when an individual is all set to work and represents of all the muscles. As a result of this muscular imbalance, the muscles
the mandible with its teeth in occlusion with the maxillary teeth, ready exert undue asymmetrical forces on the teeth and push and pull the
to do its designated task of mastication. The third situation is where teeth in differing directions. This can lead to a slow and continuous
the individual is being forced to work, and it represents the mandible movement of the teeth away from their existent positions. This is

Dental Practice I March-April 2025 I Vol 21 No 2 43