What term describes the horizontal relationship of the maxillary teeth to the mandibular teeth in centric occlusion?

• A. Overjet
• B. Overbite
• C. Crossbite
• D. Underjet

Answer: (A)

Overjet describes the horizontal distance that the upper front teeth project ahead of the lower front teeth when the jaws are in centric occlusion. It measures how far forward the maxillary incisors sit relative to the mandibular incisors, typically in millimeters. A normal overjet is about 1–3 mm; when this distance increases, the maxillary incisors protrude more (increasing overjet). If the distance is reduced or the lower teeth sit ahead of the uppers, that’s a negative overjet, sometimes referred to as an anterior crossbite. The other terms describe different relationships: overbite is the vertical overlap of the teeth, crossbite refers to a sideways (transverse) misalignment, and underjet is not a standard term in contemporary terminology.