The effect of oral motor activity on the athletic performance of professional golfers

Abstract

Human motor control is based on complex sensorimotor processes. Recent research has shown that neuromuscular activity of the craniomandibular system (CMS) might affect human motor control. In particular, improvements in postural stability and muscle strength have been observed as a result of voluntary jaw clenching. Potential benefits of jaw aligning appliances on muscle strength and golf performance have also been described. These reports are highly contradictory, however, and the oral motor task performed is often unclear. The purpose of our study was, therefore, to investigate the effect of submaximum biting on golf performance via shot precision and shot length over three different distances. Participants were 14 male professional golfers – seven with sleep bruxism and seven without – randomly performing golf shots over 60m, 160m, or driving distance while either biting on an oral splint or biting on their teeth; habitual jaw position served as the control condition. Statistical analysis revealed that oral motor activity did not systematically affect golf performance in respect of shot precision or shot length for 60m, 160 m, or driving distance. These findings were reinforced by impact variables such as club head speed and ball speed, which were also not indicative of significant effects. The results thus showed that the strength improvements and stabilizing effects described previously are, apparently, not transferable to such coordination-demanding sports as golf. This could be due to the divergent motor demands associated with postural control and muscle strength on the one hand and the complex coordination of a golf swing on the other. Interestingly, subjects without sleep bruxism performed significantly better at the short distance (60 m) than those with bruxism. Because of the multifactorial etiology of parafunctional CMS activity, conclusions about the need for dental treatment to improve sports performance are, however, completely unwarranted.

Masticatory Muscles Activity in Sport Climbers

“…Churei's research, on the other hand, reports that the motor functions of the stomatognathic system, such as clenching teeth, not only increase the maximum gripping force, but also the speed of gripping force [11]. According to the literature on the subject, the impact of the neuromuscular activity of the stomatognathic system also affects motor control of movement and an increase in postural stability [22]. However, the current state of knowledge does not allow us to determine whether the increased bioelectrical activity in the function of teeth clenching in climbers can be caused by an attempt to increase the physical parameters necessary in sport climbing, or is only the adaptation of muscles to frequent clenching during sports training.…”

Effect of Jaw Clenching on Balance Recovery: Dynamic Stability and Lower Extremity Joint Kinematics after Forward Loss of Balance

“…This is reinforced additionally by the fact that the subjects, even when already submaximum clenching their jaw, significantly increased their bite force from 146.01 ± 13.04 N to more than 200 N at Toe-Off . Clenching the jaw, hence, seems to be part of a common physiological repertoire used to improve the neural drive to distal body segments and, by this means, to enhance performance in many ways ( Ebben, 2006 ; Ringhof et al, 2015a ). This, in turn, would suggest that many studies focusing the ergogenic effects of jaw clenching actually did not observe performance improvements when the jaw was clenched, but rather a decrease in the non-clenching condition ( Hiroshi, 2003 ; Ebben et al, 2008 ).…”

Intérêt des protège-dents pour l’amélioration des performances physiques et sportives : revue de 50 ans de recherche médicale

“…Le contrôle moteur est basé sur des interactions complexes entre des processus dynamiques (divers systèmes sensoriels, synergies inter-et intramusculaires, coordination de plusieurs articulations avec plusieurs degrés de liberté) [49]. Au cours des dernières décennies, des études portant sur le contrôle moteur humain ont suggéré un effet potentiel de l'occlusion dentaire et de l'activité musculaire sur le système cranio-mandibulaire (CMS) [29].…”

“…Ces mécanorécepteurs ont un rôle dans l'équilibre, la proprioception et l'agilité en informant le système nerveux central de la position spatiale des différents segments corporels en fonction de la position statique des segments les uns par rapport aux autres et de la vitesse et de la direction du déplacement d'un segment lors du mouvement. Les fuseaux neuromusculaires sont également sollicités par les sportifs afin d'améliorer leurs performances [49]. Dans le cas de la réa-lisation d'un saut (en hauteur, etc.)…”