Image-based biomechanical relationship estimation between maximum jaw opening and masticatory muscle activities

Abstract

Investigating the individual biomechanical relationship between jaw movements and masticatory muscle activities is an important research problem in dental research. In this work, we propose an approach to estimate the masticatory muscle tensions by the quantified muscle 3D morphologic changes during the maximum jaw opening. One healthy adult subject underwent magnetic resonance (MR) scans of the head at mandibular rest position (M0) and maximum jaw opening (M1). Based on the two sets of MRI images, the jaw movement is measured by the position changes of the mental protuberance of the jaw and the muscle tension from M0 to M1 for each masticatory muscle is estimated by its 3D morphologic changes. The results demonstrate the individual biomechanical relationship between the maximum jaw opening and the estimated muscle tensions, and the jaw movement is explained by these related muscle tensions anatomically and functionally.