Masticatory muscle activity in children with a skeletal or dentoalveolar open bite

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the electromyographic (EMG) characteristics of masticatory muscles in children with either a skeletal or dentoalveolar open bite, compared with a control group (CG). Forty-five children (31 boys and 14 girls), aged 6-11 years, were included in the study, 15 with a skeletal anterior open bite (SAOB), 15 with a dentoalveolar anterior open bite (DAOB), and 15 with a normal occlusion (CG), defined by clinical evaluation and lateral cephalograms. EMG recordings of the temporal and masseter muscles were performed under maximal voluntary clenching and during chewing. Analysis of variance was used for inter-group analysis, followed by the Tukey post hoc test. A Student's t-test for paired data was used for intra-group analysis. There were statistically significant differences among the three groups (P < 0.05), with the mean EMG being highest in the CG and lowest in children with a SAOB. The percentage EMG activity during chewing in relation to that during maximal voluntary clenching was more than 100 per cent in the SAOB group. The CG and DAOB groups presented higher EMG activity during clenching compared with chewing (P < 0.001), as well as a greater difference between tasks. In the SAOB group, the neuromuscular system appeared to have a lower capacity to produce EMG activity according to the task, while that in the DAOB group suggests that their functional capacity during growth should also be carefully observed.

The electrical activity of the masticatory muscles in children with cleft lip and palate

“…There has been a great deal of discussion in the literature regarding the influence of craniofacial morphology on masticatory muscle function in a healthy population. Only a few studies have been conducted on masticatory muscle activity in cleft lip and palate subjects.…”

Superior Orbicularis Oris Muscle Activity in Children Surgically Treated for Bilateral Complete Cleft Lip and Palate

“…Many studies have focused on EMG analysis of muscles in the masticatory system in patients with malocclusion. It was confirmed that improper occlusion has a significant impact on muscle electrical activity [35,37,[42][43][44]. For these reasons, it should be emphasized that altered EMG activity of the upper lip that was observed in children with repaired cleft may also be the result of the presence of malocclusions or abnormal lip seal.…”

Surface electromyography in orthodontics – a literature review

“…The patients with malocclusions exhibited lower activity in the muscles during clenching and higher activity in the muscles of the balancing side during chewing compared with healthy subjects. Studies by Ciccone de Faria et al [34] paid attention to the different activities of the muscles in patients with either a skeletal or dentoalveolar malocclusion. Healthy patients presented the highest electrical activity in the temporalis and masseter muscles during MVC (85.27%).…”