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Afferent sensory mechanisms involved in jaw gape-related muscle activation in unilateral biting

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Abstract

Objectives

In unilateral biting or chewing, the working/balancing-side ratio (W/B-ratio) of masseter activities is inversely proportional to the jaw gape which was interpreted as a neuromuscular strategy to protect occlusion. This suggests that jaw separation is afferently perceived, raising the question how this perception might work. In related studies, isometric biting was exerted on rubber pieces that slightly yielded similar to compressed food in chewing. We hypothesized that minor jaw movements associated with this yielding are necessary to elicit a jaw gape-related control of relative activation in isometric biting.

Materials and methods

Surface electromyograms of masseter muscles were recorded bilaterally in 20 males during (a) unilateral chewing, (b) isometric biting on rubber pieces inducing jaw gapes of 5, 3, 2, 1, and 0.5 mm, and (c) isometric biting with teeth embedded in rigid splints causing gapes of 5 and 1 mm.

Results

With rubber, the masseter W/B-ratio increased from 100 % (5 mm) to 166 % (1 mm) (p = 0.0003) whereas with the splint it increased just slightly to 112 % (p = 0.005). With 1 mm gape, W/B-ratios in splint biting were significantly smaller than in rubber biting or in chewing (p = 0.01).

Conclusions

We conclude that minor jaw motion preceding peak force in unilateral biting is necessary to create afferent sensory information that could elicit jaw gape-related activation of masseter muscles.

Clinical relevance

Demonstrating a condition under which jaw gape-related activation can lose its occlusion protecting effect, these findings might contribute to disclose the causes of craniomandibular disorders.

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Acknowledgment

We gratefully acknowledge support of this work by Wilhelm–Sander Foundation Grant No. 20030091.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Prosthodontics, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Dental Clinic 2, Glückstrasse 11, D 91054, Erlangen, Germany

    Thomas Riccardo Morneburg, Sebastian Döhla, Manfred Wichmann & Peter Alfred Pröschel

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  1. Thomas Riccardo Morneburg
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  2. Sebastian Döhla
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  4. Peter Alfred Pröschel
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Correspondence to Peter Alfred Pröschel.

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Morneburg, T.R., Döhla, S., Wichmann, M. et al. Afferent sensory mechanisms involved in jaw gape-related muscle activation in unilateral biting. Clin Oral Invest 18, 883–890 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-013-1024-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-013-1024-1

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