Rationale for the effectiveness of total orthopedic rehabilitation on dental implants in patients with tooth loss and asymmetry of masticatory muscle tension

Authors:
Open Access
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The symmetry of masticatory muscle tension in tooth loss undergoes various changes due to the reorganization of the chewing process itself. Electromyography (EMG) of the masticatory muscle’s measures muscle tone over time, for example, during the chewing cycle or during clenching. Thus, EMG can provide an assessment of muscle tone during the chewing sequence. Since bite force and chewing efficiency are important parameters, the use of EMG in patients with tooth loss can be an effective tool for diagnosing various pathological processes. Purpose: to identify a correlation between the restoration of chewing function in patients with tooth loss and the symmetry of masticatory and temporal muscle tension. Materials and methods. 20 patients with tooth loss (K08.1) underwent dental implant placement in the upper and lower jaws followed by prosthetic rehabilitation. Before surgery and one month after permanent prosthetic rehabilitation, electromyography (EMG) was used to measure the activity of the masseter and temporal muscles (total amplitude during teeth clenching) and calculate the symmetry index of muscle tension on the right and left sides. Results. Preoperative measurements showed average muscle tension levels of 27.00±9.78 mV in the right temporal muscle and 28.15±9.60 mV in the left temporal muscle. For masseter muscles, the total clenching amplitude was 24.30±5.56 mV on the left side and 20.60±8.88 mV on the right. After one month of prosthetic rehabilitation, significant correlations emerged between masticatory function recovery and muscle activity patterns: analysis revealed an inverse ipsilateral relationship between masseter and temporal muscles (r=−0.87 right, r=−0.74 left, p<0.001), bilateral synchronization of masseter muscles (r=0.72, p<0.001), and cross-muscle regulatory patterns (Md/Ts: r=−0.45, p=0.046; Ms/Td: r=−0.63, p=0.003) demonstrating asymmetric masticatory control mechanisms, while demonstrating improved symmetry following prosthetic rehabilitation. Conclusion. Overall, this work shows that the activity of the masticatory muscles in patients with tooth loss improves after orthopedic rehabilitation on dental implants. This improvement is manifested in a more symmetrical tone of the masticatory muscles.

This publication has 10 references indexed in Scilit: