Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Smartphone-assisted monitoring of masticatory muscle activity in freely moving individuals

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Clinical Oral Investigations Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

To test a smartphone-assisted wireless device for assessing electromyographic (EMG) activity of the masseter muscle in freely moving individuals undertaking routine activities.

Materials and Methods

EMG activity was detected unilaterally from the masseter muscle in 12 volunteers using surface electrodes connected to both a smartphone-assisted wireless EMG device and a fixed-wired EMG equipment (reference standard). After performing a series of standardized tasks in the laboratory, participants wore the wireless device for 8 h while performing their normal routine.

Results

The wireless device reliably detected masseter muscle contraction episodes under both laboratory and natural environment conditions. The intraclass correlation coefficients for the muscle contraction episode amplitude and duration detected by the wireless and the wired equipment ranged from 0.94–1.00 to 0.82–1.00, respectively. Most masseter contraction episodes during normal routine were of low amplitude (< 10% MVC) and short duration (< 10 s), with no significant differences between sexes or facial side.

Conclusions

Within the limitations of the study, smartphone-assisted monitoring of the jaw muscles represents a promising tool to investigate oral behavior patterns in free moving individuals.

Clinical relevance

Smartphone-assisted monitoring of masticatory muscle activity may enable possible associations between excessive muscle activity, bruxism, dysfunction, and pain to be investigated, and managed via biofeedback.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig . 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Campillo MJ, Miralles R, Santander H, Valenzuela S, Fresno MJ, Fuentes A, Zúñiga C (2008) Influence of laterotrusive occlusal scheme on bilateral masseter EMG activity during clenching and grinding. Cranio J Craniomandib Pract 26:263–273

    Google Scholar 

  2. Hugger S, Schindler HJ, Kordass B, Hugger A (2012) Clinical relevance of surface EMG of the masticatory muscles. (part 1): resting activity, maximal and submaximal voluntary contraction, symmetry of EMG activity. Int J Comput Dent 15:297–314

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Lund JP, Widmer CG (1989) Evaluation of the use of surface electromyography in the diagnosis, documentation, and treatment of dental patients. J Craniomandib Disord 3:125–137

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Jack HC, Kieser J, Antoun JS, Farella M (2014) The effect of incremental lower lip advancement on oral pressure and EMG activity of the lower lip. Eur J Orthod 36:672–677

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Farella M, Michelotti A, Carbone G, Gallo LM, Palla S, Martina R (2005) Habitual daily masseter activity of subjects with different vertical craniofacial morphology. Eur J Oral Sci 113:380–385

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Iwasaki LR, Gonzalez YM, Liu H, Marx DB, Gallo LM, Nickel JC (2015) A pilot study of ambulatory masticatory muscle activities in temporomandibular joint disorders diagnostic groups. Orthod Craniofacial Res 18:146–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Castroflorio T, Mesin L, Tartaglia GM, Sforza C, Farina D (2013) Use of electromyographic and electrocardiographic signals to detect sleep bruxism episodes in a natural environment. IEEE J Biomed Heal Inform 17:994–1001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Walters TJ, Kaschinske KA, Strath SJ, Swartz AM, Keenan KG (2013) Validation of a portable EMG device to assess muscle activity during free-living situations. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 23:1012–1019

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Yamaguchi T, Mikami S, Saito M, Okada K, Gotouda A (2018) A newly developed ultraminiature wearable electromyogram system useful for analyses of masseteric activity during the whole day. J Prosthodont Res 62:110–115

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Yachida W, Arima T, Castrillon EE, Baad-Hansen L, Ohata N, Svensson P (2016) Diagnostic validity of self-reported measures of sleep bruxism using an ambulatory single-channel EMG device. Prosthodont Res 60:250–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Palinkas M, Bataglion C, de Luca CG, Machado NC, Theodoro GT, Siéssere S, Semprini S, Regalo SCH (2016) Impact of sleep bruxism on masseter and temporalis muscles and bite force. Cranio - J Craniomandib Pract 34:309–315

    Google Scholar 

  12. Gallo LM, Gross SS, Palla S (1999) Nocturnal masseter EMG activity of healthy subjects in a natural environment. J Dent Res 78:1436–1444

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Lavigne G, Guitard F, Rompré PH, Montplaisir JY (2001) Variability in sleep bruxism activity over time. J Sleep Res 10:237–244

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Baba K, Haketa T, Sasaki Y, Ohyama T, Clark GT (2005) Association between masseter muscle activity levels recorded during sleep and signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders in healthy young adults. J Orofac Pain 19:226–231

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Miyamoto K, Yamada K, Ishizuka Y, Morimoto N, Tanne K (1996) Masseter muscle activity during the whole day in young adults. Am J Orthod Dentofac Orthop 110:394–398

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Ueda HM, Ishizuka Y, Miyamoto K, Morimoto N, Tanne K (1998) Relationship between masticatory muscle activity and vertical craniofacial morphology. Angle Orthod 68:233–238

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Miyamoto K, Ishizuka Y, Ueda HM, Saifuddin M, Shikata N, Tanne K (1999) Masseter muscle activity during the whole day in children and young adults. J Oral Rehabil 26:858–864

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Khawaja SN, Mccall W, Dunford R, Nickel JC, Iwasaki LR, Crow HC, Gonzalez Y (2015) Infield masticatory muscle activity in subjects with pain-related temporomandibular disorders diagnoses. Orthod Craniofacial Res 18:137–145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Khawaja S (2015) Association of masseter muscle activities during awake and sleep periods with self-reported anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms. J Dent Heal Oral Disord Ther 2:0039

  20. Khawaja SN, Nickel JC, Iwasaki LR, Crow HC, Gonzalez Y (2015) Association between waking-state oral parafunctional behaviours and bio-psychosocial characteristics. J Oral Rehabil 42:651–656

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Goldstein RE, Auclair CW (2017) The clinical management of awake bruxism. J Am Dent Assoc 148:387–391

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Glaros AG, Tabacchi KN, Glass EG (1998) Effect of parafunctional clenching on TMD pain. J Orofac Pain 12:145–152

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Palla S, Farella M (2010) Masticatory muscle pain. In: Mense S, Gerwin RD (eds) Muscle Pain Diagnosis and Treatment. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, pp 193–227

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  24. Winter BB, Webster JB (1983) Driven-right-leg circuit design. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng BME-30:62–66

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Po JMC, Kieser JA, Gallo LM, Tésenyi AJ, Herbison P, Farella M (2011) Time-frequency analysis of chewing activity in the natural environment. J Dent Res 90:1206–1210

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. White AK, Venn B, Lu LW, Rush E, Gallo LM, Yong JLC, Farella M (2015) A comparison of chewing rate between overweight and normal BMI individuals. Physiol Behav 145:8–13

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Farella M, Palla S, Erni S, Michelotti A, Gallo LM (2008) Masticatory muscle activity during deliberately performed oral tasks. Physiol Meas 29:1397–1410

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Markiewicz MR, Ohrbach R, McCall WD (2006) Oral behaviors checklist: reliability of performance in targeted waking-state behaviors. J Orofac Pain 20:306–316

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Ohrbach R, Bair E, Fillingim RB, Gonzalez Y, Gordon SM, Lim PF, Ribeiro-Dasilva M, Diatchenko L, Dubner R, Greenspan JD, Knott C, Maixner W, Smith SB, Slade GD (2013) Clinical orofacial characteristics associated with risk of first-onset TMD: the OPPERA prospective cohort study. J Pain 14:T33–T50

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Kortum P, Sorber M (2015) Measuring the usability of mobile applications for phones and tablets. Int J Hum Comput Interact 31:518–529

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Bangor A, Kortum P, Miller J (2009) Determining what individual SUS scores mean: adding an adjective rating scale. J Usability Stud 4:114–123

    Google Scholar 

  32. McNee C, Kieser JK, Antoun JS, Bennani H, Gallo LM, Farella M (2013) Neck and shoulder muscle activity of orthodontists in natural environments. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 23:600–607

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Cioffi I, Landino D, Donnarumma V, Castroflorio T, Lobbezoo F, Michelotti A (2017) Frequency of daytime tooth clenching episodes in individuals affected by masticatory muscle pain and pain-free controls during standardized ability tasks. Clin Oral Investig 21:1139–1148

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Gonzalez Y, Iwasaki LR, Mccall WD, Ohrbach R, Lozier E, Nickel JC (2011) Reliability of electromyographic activity vs. bite-force from human masticatory muscles. Eur J Oral Sci 119:219–224

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. Nishi SE, Basri R, Alam MK (2016) Uses of electromyography in dentistry: an overview with meta-analysis. Eur J Dent 10:419–425

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  36. Endo H, Kanemura K, Tanabe N, Takebe J (2011) Clenching occurring during the day is influenced by psychological factors. J Prosthodont Res 55:159–164

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Eriksson PO, Häggman-Henrikson B, Nordh E, Zafar H (2000) Co-ordinated mandibular and head-neck movements during rhythmic jaw activities in man. J Dent Res 79:1378–1384

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Ishii T, Narita N, Endo H (2016) Evaluation of jaw and neck muscle activities while chewing using EMG-EMG transfer function and EMG-EMG coherence function analyses in healthy subjects. Physiol Behav 160:35–42

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Giannakopoulos NN, Hellmann D, Schmitter M, Krüger B, Hauser T, Schindler HJ (2013) Neuromuscular interaction of jaw and neck muscles during jaw clenching. J Orofac Pain 27:61–71

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Yamaguchi T, Mikami S, Okada K (2007) Validity of a newly developed ultraminiature cordless EMG measurement system. Oral Surgery Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endodontology 104:e22–e27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Shochat T, Gavish A, Arons E, Hadas N, Molotsky A, Lavie P, Oksenberg A (2007) Validation of the BiteStrip screener for sleep bruxism. Oral Surgery Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endodontology 104:e32–e39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Sato M, Iizuka T, Watanabe A, Iwase N, Otsuka H, Terada N, Fujisawa M (2015) Electromyogram biofeedback training for daytime clenching and its effect on sleep bruxism. J Oral Rehabil 42:83–89

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Criado L, de La Fuente A, Heredia M, Montero J, Albaladejo A, Criado JM (2016) Electromyographic biofeedback training for reducing muscle pain and tension on masseter and temporal muscles: a pilot study. J Clin Exp Dent 8:e571–e576

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank engineers Max Farr, Max Allen, Kuang Ma, and Edwin Neiman from Kamahi Electronics, Dunedin for their support with the development and testing of the early prototypes of the wireless device. We also like to thank the team from AD Instruments (Dunedin, NZ) for providing the equipment for the research tests, Hamza Bennani for software support and students from the University of Otago for volunteering to participate in the research.

Funding

The development of the device was supported by research grants from the Lottery Health Research Grant, New Zealand Dental Association, and internal funding from the Discipline of Orthodontics at the University of Otago. This study was supported with funding from the New Zealand Dental Association and Pain@Otago research grants.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mauro Farella.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in the human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution and approval was obtained (H16/125).

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Prasad, S., Paulin, M., Cannon, R.D. et al. Smartphone-assisted monitoring of masticatory muscle activity in freely moving individuals. Clin Oral Invest 23, 3601–3611 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-018-2785-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-018-2785-3

Keywords

Navigation