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Can masticatory electromyography be normalised to submaximal bite force?

Crawford, S. R.; Burden, A. M.; Yates, J. M.; Zioupos, P.; Winwood, K.

Authors

S. R. Crawford

A. M. Burden

J. M. Yates

K. Winwood



Abstract

The combination of bite force and jaw muscle electromyography (EMG) provides an insight into the performance of the stomatognathic system, especially in relation to dynamic movement tasks. Literature has extensively investigated possible methods for normalising EMG data encapsulating many different approaches. However, bite force literature trends towards normalising EMG to a maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), which could be difficult for ageing populations or those with poor dental health or limiting conditions such as temporomandibular disorder. The objectives of this study were to (i) determine whether jaw-closing muscle activity is linearly correlated with incremental submaximal and maximal bite force levels and (ii) assess whether normalising maximal and submaximal muscle activity to that produced when performing a low submaximal bite force (20 N) improves repeatability of EMG values. Thirty healthy adults (15 men, 15 women; mean age 21 ± 1·2 years) had bite force measurements obtained using a custom-made button strain gauge load cell. Masseter and anterior temporalis muscle activities were collected bilaterally using surface EMG sensors whilst participants performed maximal biting and three levels of submaximal biting. Furthermore, a small group (n = 4 females) were retested for reliability purposes. Coefficients of variation and intra-class correlation coefficients showed markedly improved reliability when EMG data were normalised compared to non-normalised. This study shows that jaw muscle EMG may be successfully normalised to a very low bite force. This may open possibilities for comparisons between at-risk sample groups that may otherwise find it difficult to produce maximal bite force values.

Citation

Crawford, S. R., Burden, A. M., Yates, J. M., Zioupos, P., & Winwood, K. (2015). Can masticatory electromyography be normalised to submaximal bite force?. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, 42(5), 323-330. https://doi.org/10.1111/joor.12268

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Nov 28, 2014
Online Publication Date Jan 19, 2015
Publication Date May 1, 2015
Deposit Date Oct 24, 2023
Journal Journal of Oral Rehabilitation
Print ISSN 0305-182X
Electronic ISSN 1365-2842
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 42
Issue 5
Pages 323-330
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/joor.12268
Keywords Normalisation; Masticatory muscles; Masseter muscle; Temporal muscle; Muscle activity; Bite force
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4424557