The silent period in the masseter and the anterior temporalis muscles in adult patients with mild or moderate mandibular dysfunction symptoms

The electromyographical silent period in the masseter and the anterior temporalis muscles during tooth tapping and jaw jerk were studied in patients with fairly mild temporomandibular joint dysfunction symptoms. The length of the silent periods in the patient group did not differ generally from that in a control group. During tooth tapping, however, patients with distinct muscular disorders had shorter silent period duration (7.7 ms) than patients with other symptoms or when compared with control subjects (10.5 and 11.3 ms, respectively). The duration returned to normal after correction of the muscular disorders. This finding suggests that the duration of the silent period is affected by the muscle condition. Patients with obvious muscular disorders of mild to moderate magnitude, thus, may show a shorter silent period duration during tooth tapping.