Crossbite
A malocclusion in which one or more teeth occlude on the wrong side of their opposing teeth, occurring either anteriorly or posteriorly.
Full Definition
A crossbite exists when the normal buccolingual or labiolingual relationship between upper and lower teeth is reversed. An anterior crossbite involves one or more upper front teeth biting behind their lower counterparts, while a posterior crossbite involves upper posterior teeth occluding inside the lower teeth. Both types may be dental (due to tooth angulation) or skeletal (due to jaw-width discrepancy) in origin, a distinction critical to treatment planning documentation. Editors must note that 'crossbite' is written as one solid word without a hyphen in most contemporary usage. The term is commonly preceded by 'unilateral' or 'bilateral' and by 'anterior' or 'posterior' as modifiers.
Usage
Usage note: Write as one word ('crossbite'); always specify 'anterior' or 'posterior' and 'unilateral' or 'bilateral' for clinical precision in editorial context.
In Context
- "A unilateral posterior crossbite involving the left first molar was documented at the initial examination." — Clinical examination record
- "The authors differentiated dental crossbite from skeletal crossbite to justify their choice of treatment protocol." — Case series discussion