title: Proportionality of mean voltage of masseter muscle to maximum bite force applied for diagnosing temporomandibular joint disturbance syndrome.
abstract: Maximum bite force in the region of the right first maxillary molar and the corresponding mean voltage of the right masseter muscle of 29 patients suffering from temporomandibular joint dysfunction and 27 healthy controls were measured. In contrast with the controls, the maximum bite force of the patients was smaller (p less than 0.01), the mean voltage was nearly equal (p greater than 0.05), and the proportionality of the mean voltage to the maximum bite force of the patients was greater (p less than 0.01). These results tend to indicate that the masticatory muscles of patients with temporomandibular joint dysfunction are in a state of hyperactivity and tension. The proportionality method suggested in this article is more convenient and easier to apply than previously proposed methods that measure the slope of voltage/tension curves. It may, therefore, have clinical value in the diagnosis of patients with temporomandibular joint disorders.
authors.affiliation: Prosthodontic Department, Fourth Military Medical College, Stomatological Hospital, Xian Shaanxi, The People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001732:Bite Force; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008406:Masseter Muscle / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008410:Masticatory Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D013706:Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*