title: Masseter muscle reflex evoked by tapping on osseointegrated Frialit implants.
abstract: Comparison was made of the masseter muscle reflexes evoked by tapping on osseointegrated single-tooth aluminum oxide implants, and on natural teeth in nine patients. Tapping on eight out of nine patients evoked an inhibitory masseter muscle reflex, whereas tapping on all of the natural teeth evoked an inhibitory reflex. The threshold for this reflex was clearly elevated in implants compared to natural teeth. The pathway for the impulses responsible for this reflex and the clinical implications of the elevated threshold are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Stuge
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brodin
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bjørnland
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015921:Dental Implants; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008406:Masseter Muscle / Q000502:physiology*; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010474:Percussion; D012026:Reflex, Stretch
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants