What is Overjet?

• A. Vertical overlap of maxillary teeth over mandibular
• B. Anterior crossbite
• C. Horizontal protrusion of maxillary teeth over mandibular
• D. Teeth crowding

Answer: (C)

Overjet is the horizontal distance that the upper front teeth project ahead of the lower front teeth when the jaws meet. It describes how far forward the maxillary incisors sit relative to the mandibular incisors. This is best captured by describing the horizontal protrusion of the upper teeth over the lower, which is exactly what the option states. It’s separate from overbite, which is the vertical overlap, and from a crossbite or crowding, which refer to other alignment issues. Normal overjet is about 2–3 mm; an increased overjet is common in certain bite problems like Class II malocclusion.