Electromyographic Evaluation of Jaw Muscles in Edentulous Patients with Implant-Supported Prosthesis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of implant-supported oral rehabilitation in the mandible on the electromyographic (EMG) activity during chewing in completely edentulous individuals. Material and methods: Twelve completely edentulous patients were selected for this study, being six females and six males, aged 55 to 65 years old. The patients were divided into three groups according to the treatment protocol; (GI) All the completely edentulous patients had conventional maxillary and mandibular complete denture, (GII) six patients had two mandibular implants supported overdenture at the canine region and (GIII) six patients had one mandibular implant supported over-denture at the symphesial area. All patients were submitted to EMG evaluation of the masseter, and the temporalis muscles, after three months of placement of the conventional prosthesis and after three months of both implant-supported systems by using different textures of foods. The recordings data were analyzed using One Way ANOVA followed by post hoc analysis using LSD test.P< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: the highest EMG activity of the masseter and temporalis muscles was recorded by chewing soft and hard foods in GI, while the reduction of muscular activity after implant supported oral rehabilitation was seen. No significant differences in the analyzed EMG parameters were found between the patients in GII and GIII. Conclusion: mandibular implant-supported prosthesis in edentulous individuals revealed a decrease in EMG amplitude for the masseter and temporalis muscles during chewing, which may indicate adaptation to new conditions of stability provided by support of the complete denture in the mandibular arch