Among the various denitions of occlusion that have been put forth over the years, one that has been promoted as “functional occlusion” particu­larly by gnathologists is canine guide/protected occlusion. By denition, in a canine or mutually protected occlusion, the posterior teeth are not in contact during excursive movements of the man­dible. This is achieved by the horizontal and ver­tical overlap between the maxillary and mandibular canines [34]. Proponents of this occlusal scheme believe that when the posterior teeth are not in contact during lateral mandibular movements, less forces are placed on the TMJ [44, 45].This, in turn, is suggested to both allevi­ate preexisting TMD symptoms and prevent the initiation of new joint problems. However, there is no evidence in the scientic literature to sup­port a relationship between any form of func­tional occlusion (including canine-protected occlusion) and the development of TMD symp­toms [46]. As a result, there is no evidence-based rationale for aiming to establish a preordained occlusal scheme with the underlying notion that it will somehow have an effect on TMJ health.