title: Can electrical stimulation be used to establish a physiologic occlusal position?
abstract: An electromyographic study was undertaken to discover the mechanism by which the Myo-monitor instrument causes muscle contraction. Our data, which strongly suggest that the distal axons of the motoneurons are directly stimulated, lend support to previous studies showing that the stimulus does not cause reflex activation of the jaw closing muscles. Inasmuch as the stimulus acts only in the periphery without the participation of the central nervous system, the ability of the instrument to produce a reflexly controlled occlusal position is highly questionable. Furthermore, we believe that there is no evidence that reflex jaw closure could ever be used to establish a physiologic occlusal position.
authors.affiliation: Division of Fixed Prosthodontics, University of Montreal, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Que., Canada.
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Dao
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Feine
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Lund
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008406:Masseter Muscle / Q000502:physiology*; D008410:Masticatory Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology