Occlusal splints – changes in the muscular activity

Abstract

Bruxism is considered an oral parafunction of involuntary grinding and clenching of the teeth. Occlusal splints are the most common method of preventing bruxism and its consequences. Their application significantly reduces the pathologies of the dental and periodontal structures. Infrared thermography is a noncontact method of temperature measurement whereby the detector is pointed remotely at a single spot. The purpose of the study is registering by means of infrared thermography the changes in the muscular activity during the period of occlusal splint prophylaxis. In the presence of pathological changes, splint therapy aims to return the joint-muscular complex of the masticatory apparatus to normal, which is associated with the activation of the adaptive capabilities of the organism. This dynamic process is associated with a rise in temperature. When achieving balance after wearing the splints for one and three months, a decrease in the registered temperature is naturally observed due to the created preconditions for elimination of the inflammation of the joint and the overload of the muscles.