Muscle Activity During Mastication
Mastication is a highly coordinated neuromuscular function involving fast, effective movements of the jaw and continuous modulation of muscle force (24). It requires coordinated activity of several muscles to produce the rhythmic opening and closing, protrusion, retrusion, and side-to-side translation that produces the chewing stroke (20,32,35).
Several discrete roles of muscle activity during mastication can be described. These functions are to move the mandible in the masticatory path, maintain appropriate alignment between the disc and the mandibular condyle, stabilize the balancing side of the mandible, and control the food to optimize mastication. (20,28). EMG studies provide important information about the chewing pattern and the relative
Several discrete roles of muscle activity during mastication can be described. These functions are to move the mandible in the masticatory path, maintain appropriate alignment between the disc and the mandibular condyle, stabilize the balancing side of the mandible, and control the food to optimize mastication. (20,28). EMG studies provide important information about the chewing pattern and the relative