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The purpose of this study was to examine the recruitment of masticatory muscles and sternocleidomastoid muscle at different protrusive-retrusive jaw positions under the control of biting forces. Twenty female patients of TMJ arthritis whose overjet and overbite of anterior teeth had found to be changed during the course of treatment were included in this study. Twenty-one normal subjects with similar age, height and weight were selected as control group. A fork-type force transducer was constructed with four bonded strain gauges connected in full bridge, which was then calibrated at different loading positions. It was found that the change of loading positions on the fork end did not lead to statistically significant difference of voltage output (p=0.9998). In the main study, electromyographic(EMG) activities of maximum voluntary clenching were firstly obtained by surface electrodes from both sides of masseter, sternocleidomastoid(SCM), anterior and posterior temporalis muscles at intercuspal position (ICP) and anterior edge to edge position. Then the subjects were instructed to bite at controlled protrusive-retrusive jaw positions with the force transducer placed in the first molar locations of habitual chewing side. The most retrusive jaw position is defined as ?" position, which then determined protrusive 2 and 4 mm jaw positions. At each jaw positions, biting force levels of 50, 100 and 150N, were conducted with visual analog. Each experimental task consists of 3 seconds continuous biting with 5 repeated trials. The magnitude of force was synchronously recorded with EMG activities of masseter, SCM, anterior and posterior temporalis muscles on both sides. Root mean square of muscle activities was derived for each muscle. The results showed that the arthritic patients revealed lower EMG activities at ICP than the controls whereas no significant difference was found between groups at anterior edge to edge biting position. With GEE model, it was found that muscle activities were positively influenced by bite force magnitude(P<0.05)in both group. The muscle activities were negatively influenced by protrusive jaw positions only in control group(P<0.05), but not significant in patient group. Bite fork position also showed positive influence on ipsilateral muscle activities(P<0.05). Besides, muscle recruitment pattern of SCM showed similar tendency as that of masseter muscle during clenching at ICP, while no clear co-activation of masticatory muscles and SCM was found during unilateral bite tasks. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the most significant factor influenced the muscle activities was the magnitude of bite force;however, masticatory muscles recruitment did not show significant difference at different jaw position in the patient group.
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