ISSN:
1365-2842
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
In previous studies to the relative contribution of the jaw closing muscles to the maintenance of submaximal clenching levels, a considerable variation in the electromyography (EMG) activities of these muscles during subsequent efforts was found. In this study, it was examined to what extent this variation could be explained by coincidental variations in mandibular positioning. From seven healthy individuals, a total of 90 EMG sweeps was recorded: three conditions (intercuspal position and two types of stabilization appliances) × three clenching levels (10, 30 and 50% of maximum voluntary contraction level) × 10 repetitions. Mandibular position was monitored with a six degrees of freedom opto-electronic jaw movement recording system. Variations in mandibular positioning during subsequent, submaximal clenching efforts explained up to 25% of the variance in the indices that quantify the relative contribution of the jaw closing muscles to the total clenching effort (P=0·000; ANOVA). Only a weak dependency of positioning upon clenching condition was found whereas during higher clenching levels, the positioning effect tended to be smaller than during lower levels. In conclusion small, coincidental variations in mandibular positioning during subsequent clenching efforts partly explain the variance in EMG activity of jaw closing muscles, especially at lower clenching levels.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2842.2002.00892.x
