PURPOSE:
to investigate the relationship of the masticatory preference side in the electrical activity of masseter and temporalis muscles.
METHODS:
the sample was composed by 115 children aged between 7 and 12 years. The acquisition of the electrical activity of the masticatory muscles was recorded during 5 seconds of isometric contraction in maximal intercuspal position. The children were divided into four groups according to masticatory preference observed: Chewing Preferential Right, Left, Bilateral Alternating, and Bilateral Simultaneous. The electromyographicdata were analyzed using the SPSS 17.0 software, and for determination of statistical difference between the electrical activity of the right and left masseter and temporalis muscles was performed by Paired Student t-test (p <0.05).
RESULTS:
from the total of 115 children, 76 (63.4%) had a preferred side during mastication, whereas 44 (36.7%) children had masticatory right and 32 (26.7%) preferred chewing left. Of the individuals without a preferred side, it was found 25.8% (n = 31) alternating with bilateral chewing and 10.8% (n = 13) with simultaneous bilateral chewing. After comparing the electrical activity of the masseter and temporal, right and left, according to the group chewing, it was found that the average electrical activity of the muscles on the left side showed no statistically significant differences when compared with the average of its peers right side.
CONCLUSION:
for the study sample, there was no relationship between the habitual chewing side and electrical activity of the muscles masseter and temporal.
Mastication; Child; Students; Electromyography; Masticatory Muscles
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