Objectives: our aim is to investigate the relationship between occlusal interference and TMD in open bite patients, and further analyze the characteristics of occlusal interference. Methods: One hundred and sixty nine patients with open bite were divided into two groups according to Patients with or without temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD (+) group, n=109 and TMD (-) group, n=60). The centric occlusal interference was mainly examined by Moyer's functional wax bite method and the characteristics of occlusal interference were mainly recorded according to the position of premature contact and the direction of displacement of mandible. Results: The study showed that deviations of mandible were existed in sixty three of 109 TMD patients caused by centric occlusal interference(57.8%), which was significantly higher than that in the TMD(--) group. (Chi-square V =8.046, P<0.05). The incidences of terminal position unstable and anterior deviation of mandible because of molar premature contact in central relation were 17.46% and 63.49% separately, which were the main characteristics in TMD patients with open bite. Conclusion: The study indicated that occlusal premature contacts in posterior teeth, unilaterally or bilaterally, and occlusal unstable were significantly related to TMD patients with open bite. Mandible deviation induced by occlusal premature contact was mainly anterior displacement of mandible, which maybe result in the abnormal activity of temporal and masseter muscles.