Deliberate relaxation of the temporal and masseter muscles in subjects with functional disorders of the chewing apparatus

Abstract

abstract – The ability to relax the temporal and masseter muscles was tested in 24 patients with functional disorders of the muscles of mastication and the temporomandibular joints and in 45 dental students without such disorders. In spite of all efforts taken to induce relaxation in the patients, postural activity remained unchanged as long as they sat up, but a change to supine position caused significant reduction of the activity in the temporal muscle. On the return to an upright position these muscles attained their previous level of activity. In the students, deliberate relaxation was limited to the supine position and caused a reduction of the activity in the temporal muscle. Partients with hyperactivity in masseter muscles with the mandible at rets were too few to demonstrate any effect of relaxation, and the absence of effect in the control sample showed that these muscles do not contribute to mandibular posture. Our findings suggest that hyperactivity in the temporal muscles reflects abnormal posture of the mandible and that the supine position is suitable for inducing relaxation during clincal examination and treatment.