Which occlusal scheme distributes contact relations during lateral movements across multiple teeth?

• A. Group Function
• B. Anterior Guidance
• C. Mutually Protected Occlusion
• D. Bilateral Balanced Occlusion

Answer: (A)

During lateral movement you want the load shared by several teeth rather than piled onto one root that can wear or overload. Group Function accomplishes this by having the working-side posterior teeth (usually a couple of molars and premolars) come into contact and share the occlusal load, distributing forces across multiple teeth. This contrasts with anterior guidance, which discludes posterior teeth to protect them, and with mutually protected occlusion, which relies on anterior guidance to protect posterior teeth while still providing posterior support in centric; bilateral balanced occlusion aims to maintain contacts on both sides, including the nonworking side, in eccentric movements. Therefore, the scheme that distributes contact relations across multiple teeth during lateral movements is Group Function.