Craniomandibular dysfunctions affect at least 5% of population in industrialized societies, females being affected in a 2:1 ratio with respect to males. Thus, it is crucial to unravel the mechanism underlying the onset and maintenance of craniomandibular dysfunctions also in an evolutionary perspective.

To address the question as to whether craniomandibular dysfunctions are a disease of civilization, we have to be able to demonstrate that civilization has affected the orofacial structures, that these changes have had functional implications, which are in turn associated with, or better, cause craniomandibular dysfunctions.

We discussed this topic in the light of the clinical, anthropological, experimental, biomechanical evidence in a podium presentation at the 18th International Symposium on Dental Morphology and 3rd meeting of the International Association for Paleodontology (IAPO), Frankfurt, Germany, August 15-19 2022. You can find more details in Fornai et al. 2022 (Bull Int Assoc Paleodont. 2022;16(2): p. 127 abstract 038 in the article