The masseteric reflex evoked by tooth and denture tapping

Abstract

The characteristics of the masseter reflex evoked by tapping a maxillary incisor were compared with the reflex pattern evoked by tapping a corresponding denture tooth after insertion of an immediate denture. Up to three inhibitory phases (I-1, I-2 and I-3), followed by excitation, were found on an averaged EMG. The tapping force threshold for the early inhibitory phase was lower than for the late phases. The pattern of the reflex was generally the same before and after insertion of the denture, but the threshold values increased. After insertion of the denture, the threshold for I-1 increased from 1 +/- 0.3N to 2.2 +/- 0.4N, the threshold for I-2 increased from 2.4 +/- 0.8N to 3.8 +/- 0.9N, and the threshold for I-3 increased from 5.1 +/- 0.6N to 8.3 +/- 0.9N. The latency period for I-1 also increased from 12.3 +/- 0.5 ms to 13.1 +/- 0.3 ms after insertion of the denture. After relining, the threshold for evoking I-1 decreased from 2.7 +/- 1.2N to 1.2 +/- 0.6N. It was assumed that the mechanoreceptors situated in the mucosa under the denture base could take over the functional role of the periodontal mechanoreceptors for evoking the masseter reflex during tapping, and that these afferents probably had connections to the same interneurones.