I have found it very confusing that in the dental and orthodontic literature, it is often stated that "centric occlusion" (CO) and "maximum intercuspation" (MIC) are synonyms (for example), despite the fact that there is tons of research on the discrepancy between CO and MIC (for example). How can CO and MIC be considered synonyms, and yet also be different (and in fact, the difference between them is of interest to dentists?).
Further adding to my confusion, according to Wikipedia, MIC "used to be referred to as centric occlusion", but there isn't a reference to back up this specific claim.
Could someone 1) clarify appropriate terminology for me, and 2) provide a reference to support the correct terminology?