title: Relationship between electrical activity of the temporal and masseter muscles, bite force, and morphological facial index.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze possible correlations between the electrical activity of masseter and temporal muscles, Bite Force (BF), and Morphological Facial Indices (MFI).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study involved 43 young adults, both genders, 18 to 37 years old. The individuals were submitted to: face measurement to calculate MFI; Masseter and Temporal Surface Electromyography (sEMG) and BF measurements on right and left premolars and incisors. The following electromyographic tests were conducted: at rest position; Maximal Voluntary Isometrical Contraction (MVIC) and usual chewing of raisins. Statistical analysis was conducted using the coefficient of Spearman correlation with significance level of 5%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The values at rest in the temporal muscles were significantly higher than those in the masseter muscles. A meaningful correlation was found between MFI and sEMG in the MVIC test for the Left Temporal (rs=36, p=0.017). A significant correlation was observed between FMI and sEMG during BF in incisors for temporal muscles and the Right Masseter. During the force tests, it was possible to observe a meaningful correlation between BF in right premolars and the sEMG of the Left Temporal and Masseters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No correlation was found between the sEMG of temporal and masseter muscles, BF, and FMI in adult individuals based on the tests performed. The SEMG of temporal and masseter muscles seems to be associated only with BF. As a datum of habitual postural characteristic, the electrical activity of temporal muscles is higher than the activity of masseters, also regardless of MFI.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Veiga de Almeida - UVA - Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brasil.
authors.forename: Deyves Gomes de
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.affiliation: Universidade Veiga de Almeida - UVA - Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brasil.|Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo - PUC - São Paulo (SP), Brasil.
authors.forename: Esther Mandelbaum Gonçalves
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Bianchini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001732:Bite Force; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008406:Masseter Muscle / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology; D013703:Temporal Muscle / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult