Correlations between masticatory muscle activity, quality of life, and dysfunction severity in women with chronic temporomandibular disorder

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:Assessing the possible interactions between the activity of masticatory muscles and quality of life and severity of the temporomandibular disorder can help clarify how changes in muscle activity can be associated with a chronic temporomandibular disorder in women. This study aimed to investigate the correlations between masticatory electrical activity during mandibular resting, maximum voluntary contraction, the severity of the temporomandibular disorder, and quality of life in women with chronic temporomandibular disorder and to compare these parameters with healthy asymptomatic controls. METHODS: Sixty women, 30 with temporomandibular disorder and 30 asymptomatic, participated in this case-control observational study. Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorder was used to identify the presence or absence of temporomandibular disorder. The SF-36 questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life in participants, and ProTMDmulti-part-II was applied to assess the severity of signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorder. RESULTS: During jaw clenching, the masticatory activity of the right temporal and left masseter muscles, the symmetry of the masseter muscles, and anteroposterior coefficient were significantly smaller in the temporomandibular disorder group than in the asymptomatic group. Masticatory activity at rest, signs and symptoms of chronic temporomandibular disorder, and impairment of the quality of life were correlated using Spearman coefficient (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results contribute to findings on the associations between the masticatory activity in chronic signs and symptoms of the temporomandibular disorder, impairment in quality Correlations between masticatory muscle activity, quality of life, and dysfunction severity in women with chronic temporomandibular disorderRelação entre atividade elétrica mastigatória, qualidade de vida e gravidade da disfunção em mulheres com disfunção temporomandibular crônica

Masticatory Function in Individuals with Temporomandibular Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…All articles are available in English, and the authors’ country of origin and the sample are usually the same. We found a significant predominance of studies from Brazil ( n = 16) [ 3 , 31 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 50 , 52 , 56 ]. Our list of countries includes Italy [ 32 , 51 ], China [ 45 ], Poland [ 48 ] and Turkey [ 37 , 54 ].…”

“…Fifteen of the selected articles used the RDC/TMD protocol to diagnose TMD [ 31 , 34 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 50 , 54 , 55 , 56 ], and the seven others used DC/TMD [ 32 , 33 , 35 , 36 , 48 , 51 , 52 ]. Mapelli et al (2016) [ 38 ] was the only study that presented, within the group defined as “with TMD,” a subdivision according to the pathology’s severity: moderate and severe.…”

“…Mapelli et al (2016) [ 38 ] was the only study that presented, within the group defined as “with TMD,” a subdivision according to the pathology’s severity: moderate and severe. The publication date criterium revealed six articles > 6 years [ 31 , 42 , 43 , 50 , 54 , 55 ], eight articles between 3 and 6 years [ 34 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 44 , 45 , 48 ], and eight from the last 3 years [ 32 , 33 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 51 , 52 , 56 ]. Studies using electromyography to assess chewing function are more recent [ 32 , 35 , 37 , 51 ] than those using chewing gums [ 31 , 32 , 54 , 55 ].…”

“…Our list of countries includes Italy [ 32 , 51 ], China [ 45 ], Poland [ 48 ] and Turkey [ 37 , 54 ]. Regarding the protocol used to assess masticatory function, all studies performed static and/or dynamic tests in MVC (Maximum Voluntary Contraction), and six also evaluated the stomatognathic system during mandibular rest [ 34 , 36 , 41 , 48 , 50 , 52 ]. Concerning gender, thirteen studies only included female subjects [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 48 , 51 , 52 , 55 ].…”

“…Regarding the protocol used to assess masticatory function, all studies performed static and/or dynamic tests in MVC (Maximum Voluntary Contraction), and six also evaluated the stomatognathic system during mandibular rest [ 34 , 36 , 41 , 48 , 50 , 52 ]. Concerning gender, thirteen studies only included female subjects [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 48 , 51 , 52 , 55 ]. Regarding the sample size of the studied populations, of the twenty-two selected articles, two studies [ 40 , 43 ] presented small samples ( n = 22), contrasting with the two articles [ 32 , 39 ], which presented a higher total sample ( n = 104).…”