Which occlusal relationship involves multiple contact relations between maxillary and mandibular teeth in lateral movements?

• A. Group Function
• B. Anterior Guidance
• C. Posterior Stability
• D. Tall cusps and deep fossa

Answer: (A)

In lateral jaw movements, several posterior teeth on the working side share contact with the opposing teeth rather than relying on a single tooth to guide the movement. This pattern is called group function. It creates multiple simultaneous contact relations between the maxillary and mandibular teeth on the working side, distributing occlusal forces across several teeth for stability and reduced wear on any one tooth.

Anterior guidance, in contrast, uses the front teeth to guide the movement and tends to disclude posterior teeth. Tall cusps and deep fossae describe tooth morphology that can influence how contacts occur, but they don’t define a pattern of multiple posterior contacts during lateral movement. Posterior stability isn’t the term used to describe this shared-contact arrangement.