Impact of temporomandibular disorders on the stomatognathic system in children

Abstract

BackgroundTo evaluate the EMG activity and thickness of right masseter (RM), left masseter (LM), right temporal (RT) and left temporal (LT) muscles and bite force in children with temporomandibular disorders (TMD).Material and MethodsForty five children (mean age 8.8 years; 22 boys and 23 girls) were examined on the basis of the RDC/TMD and the Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R) was used to determine the level of severity of the signs and symptoms of TMD, resulting in four groups: GI - without TMD (n=10); GII - with mild TMD (n=18), GIII: with moderate TMD (n=12) and GIV: with severe TMD (n=5). The data of electromyographic activity, maximum bite force and muscle thickness were tabulated and submitted to statistical analysis (ANOVA, P≤0.05).ResultsChildren with TMD signs and symptoms had lower EMG activity than children of the control group. There was significant difference among the groups for the LT at rest (P=0.01), right (P=0.03) and left (P=0.05) laterality, and for the LM (P=0.01) and LT (P=0.03) muscles in maximum voluntary contraction. There were no statistically significant differences among the groups regarding muscle thickness. The bite force was lower in the TMD groups than children of the control group, with significant statistical difference for the right region (P=0.03).ConclusionsThe severity of TMD signs and symptoms affected the EMG activity and the molar bite force in children. However, structural changes in the thickness of masticatory muscles are not perceptible in children with TMD signs and symptoms. Key words:Children, temporomandibular disorders electromyographic, bite force, ultrasound.

Content and construct validity of the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders Axis I for children

“…For further studies, the paediatric population under 7 years of age still needs an instrument, adapted to their language and physiology, for the evaluation of TMD, that are frequently associated with psychosocial factors, which also need to be explored in further investigations.…”

Electromyographic analysis of stomatognathic muscles in elderly after hippotherapy

“…In other words, although the muscles are not inactive, electromyographic silence characterizes this position [ 30 ]. Other studies have reported that, in the resting position, there is electrical activity in the skeletal striated muscle [ 31 , 32 ]. In this study, there was electrical activity in the resting position, however, in post-treatment, EMG activity was lower, with statistically significant differences in the left temporal, and without significance for the temporal and right masseter muscles.…”

Stiffness of the Masseter Muscle in Children—Establishing the Reference Values in the Pediatric Population Using Shear-Wave Elastography

“…Stiffness of masseter muscles was measured with shear wave elastography using Aixplorer Ultimate device (SuperSonic Imagine, Aix-en-Provence, France) with a highfrequency linear probe SL 18-5 (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18). All children were examined in a supine; they were instructed to lay down relaxed with their mouth closed in a comfortable position as well as to refrain from swallowing during the examination.…”

“…Surface electromyography, used for the measurement of muscle activity, can also help evaluate a muscle condition in children with cerebral palsy [16]. In addition, it was shown that in children with TMD, electromyography was able to detect the lower activity of the masseter muscle in comparison with children without abnormalities in this muscle [17]. It is worth noting that biomechanical methods lack standardization.…”