Electromyographic activity of superficial masseter and anterior temporal muscles during unilateral mastication of artificial test foods with different textures in healthy subjects

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the electromyographic activity of superficial masseter and anterior temporal muscles during chewing gum and gummy jelly mastication in healthy subjects to reveal the difference of neuromuscular control of jaw-closing muscles, according to the food texture.

Materials and methods: Electromyographic activity was recorded in 30 adults with Angle Class I occlusion and unimpaired function from the bilateral superficial masseter and anterior temporal muscles during unilateral mastication of two test foods: standardized gummy jelly and color-changeable chewing gum. Differences in normalized electromyographic activity and asymmetry index values between gummy jelly and chewing gum mastication were analyzed during the early, middle, and late phases of mandibular closure. Furthermore, changes among the three closing phases were compared for each test food.

Results: High electromyographic activity of both muscles tended to occur bilaterally during the middle and late closing phases during gummy jelly mastication, but increased muscle activity in the late closing phase was not observed during chewing gum mastication. The asymmetry index of the superficial masseter muscle increased significantly from early to late closure, regardless of the food texture, but it tended to decrease for the anterior temporal muscle during gummy jelly mastication.

Conclusion: The different aspects of the chewing process between the comminution and mixing test measures are necessary to elicit the different human neuromuscular strategies of chewing for different test foods.

Clinical relevance: These characteristic EMG activities of the superficial masseter and anterior temporalis muscles may be used as supporting diagnostic information during patient assessments and a reference during evaluation of masticatory system disharmony or dysfunction.

Keywords: Anterior temporal muscle; Electromyography; Mastication; Superficial masseter muscle.