Oral Sciences n3


Original Article Braz J Oral Sci.
April | June 2015 - Volume 14, Number 2

Braz J Oral Sci. 14(2)176-181

Electromyography and asymmetry index of
masticatory muscles in undergraduate students

with temporomandibular disorders
Gisele Harumi Hotta1, Ana Izabela Sobral de Oliveira1,

Anamaria Siriani de Oliveira1, Cristiane Rodrigues Pedroni2

1Universidade de São Paulo - USP, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, Department of Biomechanics, Medicine and Rehabilitation of the Locomotor Apparatus,
Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

2Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP, School of Philosophy and Sciences, Department of Physical Terapy and Occupational Therapy, Marilia, SP, Brazil

Correspondence to:
Gisele Harumi Hotta

Prédio da Fisioterapia e Terapia Ocupacional da
Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da

Universidade de São Paulo
Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900, Bairro Monte Alegre

CEP: 14049-900  Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil
Phone: +55 16 33150737

E-mail: harumi.hotta@usp.br

Abstract

Aim: To compare the electromyographic activity and the asymmetry index among degrees of
severity of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Methods: Surface electromyography (EMG)
of the right and left masseter and temporalis muscles was performed in 126 undergraduate
students at rest and at maximal voluntary contraction. Three measurements were performed for
five seconds of maximal contraction and mandibular rest. The degree of temporomandibular
dysfunction was identified according to the Fonseca anamnestic index. The analysis of the
asymmetry index for two pairs of muscles during maximal voluntary contraction was based on the
asymmetry index proposed by Naeije, McCarrol and Weijs (1989). Results: 48.41% of the
sample had mild TMD, followed by volunteers without TMD (26.98%), moderate TMD (19.05%)
and severe (5.56%). The survey results show absence of correlation between the Fonseca
anamnestic index and electromyographic activity at rest and at maximal voluntary contraction in
undergraduate students in both muscles (p>0.05) and the asymmetry index did not differ between
the analyzed groups. Conclusions: For the population of undergraduate students, there is no
evidence that the presence and severity of TMD influence the EMG activity of masseter and
temporalis muscles and the muscle asymmetry index at rest and maximal voluntary contraction.

Keywords: electromyography; evaluation; stomatognathic system.

Introduction

Temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) is a disorder of the stomatognathic
system characterized by the presence of pain in the preauricular region, fatigue of
masticatory muscles (MM), limitation or deviation during movement of the
temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and could be associated to noise during opening
and closing the mouth1-2. The difficulty of identifying the TMD is related to its
multifactorial etiology and the complex relationship of TMJ with other structures
of the head, neck and scapular waist3, apart from an important relationship with
emotional factors, especially in adolescents2,4. The main muscles affected in this
dysfunction are the temporal (anterior and posterior), masseter (superficial and
deep), pterygoid (medial and lateral) and digastric muscles5.

The prevalence of TMD symptoms has been shown to vary from 16 to 59%
in general populations 1  while other studies showed that nearly 70% of

Received for publication: May 05, 2015
Accepted: June 26, 2015

http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1677-3225v14n2a15



undergraduate students present some symptoms of TMD3,6.
Despite such a high prevalence, only 7% of subjects
classified as moderate and severe TMD patients reported to
had ever sought medical care6. Undergraduate students are
vulnerable to signs and symptoms of TMD6, but the future
impact of these symptoms on this population is unknown.

Several questionnaires were prepared for the assessment
of TMD signs and symptoms, and currently the most widely
used method for classification is the Research Diagnostic
Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD)4.
Nevertheless, the index proposed by Helkimo7 (1994) has
been clinically used to classify the severity levels of TMD,
especially in epidemiological survey studies1-4,6. Fonseca et
al.8 (1994) based on the Helkimo index7 translated and
validated the questionnaire into Portuguese with 95%
reliability and good correlation with the Helkimo index. The
Fonseca et al.8 (1994) questionnaire has the advantage of
being self-manageable, short application time, low cost and
may be used for the screening of patients1-2,6.

Surface electromyography is widely used for evaluation
and observation of the electrophysiological behavior of the
muscles under different physiological conditions 4-5. This
method is a non-invasive evaluation of the bioelectric
phenomena of muscle activity at rest and during muscle
contraction and is useful for assessing the electrical activity
of MM9-10. Research of electromyographic characteristics
among undergraduate students with TMD is essential for an
early detection of bioelectric characteristics of muscles that
may predispose individuals to pain and muscle dysfunction
and/or joint in the adult age4,9.

Electromyography studies in MM have shown that the
mean values for electrical activity of the masseter and
temporal muscles at rest range 2.2 - 4.0 V in individuals with
TMD and 2.9 3.8 V in healthy subjects, without a significant
difference among the groups10-11. However, Glaros et al.12
(1997) state that the electrical activity is slightly higher in
the TMD patients,, averaging 2.9 to 3.3 V for the masseter
and 4.5 to 5.7 V for temporal. In healthy volunteers, the
average was 2.2 to 2.3 for the masseter and 3.6 to 3.7 for the
temporal. In literature, the consensus is that the temporal
muscle has a higher electrical activity at rest compared with
the masseter10-12. At maximal voluntary contraction (MVC),
adult TMD patients have a lower electrical activity, ranging
from 64.1 to 79.2 V, compared to healthy subjects, ranging
from 140.2 to 182.8 V10-11, but such values have not been
found for the college age group.

In this context, the aim of this study was to compare the
electromyographic activity and the asymmetry index with
the severity degrees of TMD.

Material and methods

Participants
The convenience sample was recruited from the São

Paulo State University - UNESP, Marilia, Brazil. Individuals
using orthodontic appliances or orthopedic functional, fixed
or removable dentures were excluded from the study and

also abusers of painkiller-type drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs,
muscle relaxants and antidepressants, as well as those with
some type of neurological disorder.

This study was approved by the Ethics in Research
Committee of the São Paulo State University in accordance
with Resolution of the National Health Council 196/96
(reference number: 0457/2012) and the rights of the subjects
were protected. All participants were informed about the
study and signed an informed consent form before
participating.

Instruments and assessment procedures

Fonseca Anamnestic Index (IAF)
The IAF was initially applied to each individual by a

physical therapist blinded to the electromyographic
evaluation, determining the presence and severity of TMD.
The questionnaire consists of 10 questions, where the YES
answer scores 10, SOMETIMES scores 5 and NO scores 0.
The sum of the answer values corresponds to the following
classification: 0-15 (no TMD), 20-40 (mild TMD), 45-65
(moderate TMD) and 70-100 (severe TMD).

Surface Electromyography
Simultaneous sampling of signals was used to record

the electromyographic signals of the MM (bilateral masseter
and anterior temporal muscles) by the Lynx Technology LTD
(Lynx® São Paulo, SP, Brazil) A/D board, composed of six
active channels with analog band pass filters with cut off
frequency at 20-1000 Hz and digitized with 16-bit resolution.
The equipment was connected to a battery with a capacity
of 10 Ah, 12 V, to reduce the noise from the power supply.
The guidelines of Surface Electromyography for Non-Invasive
Assessment of Muscles (SENIAM) were followed to prepare
the skin13.

During signal acquisition, the subjects remained
comfortably seated in a chair with back support and no
support for the head and upper limbs, maintaining the hands
rested on the femur, the soles of the feet flat on the floor
with the knees in a 90° flexion, head erect and looking to
the horizon. The volunteer got no visual feedback from the
computer screen. Before each data collection, the volunteer
underwent familiarization with the equipment and the
movements to be performed, getting all the necessary
instructions and information.

The electrodes were placed bilaterally along the anterior
fibers of the temporal and masseter muscles14. The recordings
were made in the resting mandibular position and maximal
voluntary contraction (MVC) with the use of Parafilm M®
(Wertheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany) folded similarly
to a Trident gum (3.5x1.5)15 and placed bilaterally between
the premolars, first and second mandibular and maxillary
molars. There were three measurements during MVC. All
recordings were performed for 5 s with a two-minute interval
between them.

The data acquisition and storage of digitized signals
were performed by Aqdados software (Lynx®), version 7.2

177177177177177 Electromyography and asymmetry index of masticatory muscles in undergraduate students with temporomandibular disorders

Braz J Oral Sci. 14(2)176-181



1 7 11 7 11 7 11 7 11 7 1178178178178178

Groups Sample Size      Age      IAF
Without TMD 34 (26.98 %) 21.59 ± 5.21 9.56 ± 4.33
Mild TMD 61 (48.41 %) 21.15 ± 2.85 27.79 ± 6.31
Moderate TMD 24 (19.05 %) 21.69 ± 3.40 55 ±  6.35
Severe TMD 7 (5.56 %) 22 ± 2.55 80.63 ± 9.43
TMD: Temporomandibular dysfunction; IAF: Fonseca anamnestic index.

Table 1:Table 1:Table 1:Table 1:Table 1: Sample characterization according to the score
obtained from the Fonseca anamnestic index8

for Windows. The used sensors were passive surface double
halves of silver/silver chloride circles, adhesive, disposable,
42 mm long, 20 mm wide, 20 mm from center to center
(Miotec® Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil), coupled to a Lynx
Technology LTD preamp with a 10 GΩ input impedance,
130dB common rate of rejection and gain of 20 times.

Data Analysis
The electromyographic signal was processed in the time

domain by root mean square (RMS). All registration
procedures and analyses of the electromyographic signal
followed the Standards for Reporting EMG Data16. Data from
the MVC and at rest were standardized on the average
obtained by three repetitions of the MVC.

The statistical program used was SPSS Statistics Version
17.0 for Windows (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL). The Kolmogorov-
Smirnov test was used to verify the normality of data. The
Kruskal-Wallis test was used for comparison between groups.
The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to calculate
the association between variables. For all data processing
the significance level was set at 5%.

The asymmetry values of muscle activity of the two
muscle pairs during isometric contraction were based on the
asymmetry index (AI), proposed by Naeije, McCarrol and
Weijs 17 (1989). If the muscle activation level is fully
symmetrical IA is 0%, while the full asymmetry corresponds
to 100%. The formula is: IA = [(RMS right - left RMS)/
(RMS right + left RMS) * 100].

Results

The clinical and demographic characteristics of the
sample are shown in Table 1. The participants were 126
undergraduate students with mean age of 21.59 (±5.21) years
and 74.24% of the sample were females. Among the students,
34 (26.98%) presented no TMD, 61 (48.41%) mild TMD, 24
(19.05%) moderate TMD and 7 (5.56%) severe TMD.

Comparing the groups according to the IAF severity
and disregarding the right and left sides, the RMS values of
electromyography activity showed no difference (p<0.05)
for the masseter and temporalis at rest (Figures 1 and 3) and
in MVC (Figures 2 and 4).

The analysis of the electromyographic activity and the
IAF carried out by Spearman correlation coefficient showed
that there is no association between the variables. Correlation
was not found between the RMS value of the masseter and IAF
(r=-0.066), and the temporal and IAF with MVC (r=-0.081).

Fig. 1: Comparison between groups in relation to masseter electromyographic at
rest. TMD: temporomandibular dysfunction

There is no evidence that the temporal (r=0.063) and the
masseter (r=-0.001) correlate with the IAF at rest (Table 2).

The groups showed a degree of asymmetry index with
greater evidence at rest, however, statistical differences were
not found between groups. Descriptive data are presented in
Table 3.

Fig. 3: Comparison between groups in relation to temporal electromyographic
activity at rest. TMD: temporomandibular dysfunction

Electromyography and asymmetry index of masticatory muscles in undergraduate students with temporomandibular disorders

Braz J Oral Sci. 14(2)176-181

Fig. 2: Comparison between groups in relation to masseter electromyographic
activity at maximal voluntary clench. TMD: temporomandibular dysfunction



179179179179179

Correlation r s p valor
IAF (score) X MEAR (rms) -0.001 0.99
IAF (score) X TEAR (rms) 0.063 0.47
IAF (score) X MEAMVC (rms) -0.066 0.44
IAF (score) X MEAMVC (rms) -0.081 0.35
IAF: Fonseca anamnestic index; MEAR: Masseter’s electromyographic activity at
rest; TEAR: Temporal electromyographic activity at rest; MEAMVC: Masseter
electromyographic activity at maximal voluntary contraction; TEAMVC: Temporal
electromyographic activity at maximal voluntary contraction. rs: Spearman’s
correlation coefficient

Table 2: Table 2: Table 2: Table 2: Table 2: Correlation between the Fonseca anamnestic index
and electromyographic activity at rest and at maximal
voluntary contraction.

Masseter Temporalis
Resting (%) MVC (%) Resting (%) MVC (%)

Without TMD 17.29 ± 18.10 3.47 ± 7.32 22.61 ± 16.83 5.85 ± 9.15
Mild TMD 14.65 ± 15.81 5.28 ± 9.75 16.93 ± 16.61 5.16 ± 8.97
Moderate TMD 19.24 ± 25.05 8.53 ± 16.23 27.82 ± 19.42 5.00 ± 8.46
Severe TMD 20.51 ± 23.71 12.83 ± 13.61 29.36 ± 26.96 7.27 ± 11,93

Table 3:Table 3:Table 3:Table 3:Table 3: Descriptive data of the asymmetry index, according Naije et al17 (1989).

Data expressed as mean ± standard deviation. MVC: Maximal voluntary contraction; TMD: Temporomandibular
dysfunction.

Fig. 4: Comparison between groups in relation to temporal electromyographic
activity at maximal voluntary clench. TMD: temporomandibular dysfunction

Discussion

The study results showed that among the undergraduate
students population, there are many individuals with some
type of TMD signs or symptoms. The EMG activity of the
masseter and temporal does not differ between the presence
or absence of symptoms and between different degrees of
TMD, both at rest and the maximal voluntary contraction
(MVC). There is also no evidence of changes in muscle
asymmetry index at rest and MVC in individuals with signs
and symptoms of TMD. There is no correlation between the
score obtained by IAF and the EMG activity of masseter and
temporalis muscles.

The high incidence of mild TDM in the study population

corroborates those of studies that classify mild TMD as the
most prevalent type among Brazilian male and female
undergraduate students1-2. This large number of undergraduate
students with TMD signs or symptoms emphasizes the
importance of studying TMD in this age group, considering
possible progression of the disorder and future need of
specialized medical care2,6.

The results of this study are consistent with those found
of Hugger et al.10 (2012) and Weggen et al.18 (2012), who
analyzed EMG activity in MVC and did not identify
differences between groups of healthy participants and those
with TMD10,18. This finding is justified by the fact that to
create accurate jaw movements, entries of various sensory
receptors must be received by the central nervous system by
afferent nerve fibers. The brain assimilates and organizes this
information and generates appropriate motor activities by
the efferent nerve fibers. These motor activities involve the
contraction of some muscle groups and the inhibition of
others. Chewing is a subconscious activity, but it may be
controlled consciously at any moment 5 declaring the
individual’s ability to control the use of the MM in
unnecessary activities, avoiding increase in electrical activity
of the muscle in this phase.

Healthy subjects when compared with individuals with
TMD exhibit reduction of electrical potentials of the masseter
and temporal muscles at rest19-21. However, these differences
are not consistent in the literature, and the increase of
electrical potentials at rest is considered in most cases as the
result of chronic pain10.

Although some authors11,19-21 confirm the increased EMG
activity at rest and decrease in activation capacity during
MVC and it is known that during mastication the relationship
between muscle actions is generally similar among
individuals of the same gender. However, there are significant
differences in bite between men and women and between
young and adults,5 justifying the difference between the results
of this study with the above mentioned, since the populations
consisted of different age groups.

The chewing movements of patients with myofascial
pain had the same pattern of healthy individuals. Thus, people
with pain in MM or joint noises may have normal mandibular
range of motion5.

In both groups at the start of the closing phase of
mastication, the ipsilateral side of the temporal muscle to
the bite is first activated and then the contralateral temporal
muscle and masseter muscles act simultaneously. The EMG
activity in these muscles is very low, but it increases gradually,

Electromyography and asymmetry index of masticatory muscles in undergraduate students with temporomandibular disorders

Braz J Oral Sci. 14(2)176-181



1 7 11 7 11 7 11 7 11 7 1180180180180180

reaching a peak at the end of the closing movement5.
The muscle activity changes during MVC and at rest

are relatively small, but these small changes in muscle activity
at rest were reported as clinical indicators of TMD, but
considering these small changes in EMG activity as a factor
in the pathogenesis of muscle pain in these patients is still
controversial22.

The muscle tension is characterized as causal factor for
TMD, therefore the electrical activity is not necessarily increased
in the MM on these patients. However, it should be stressed
that a possible increase in muscle activity may precede and
produce pain, and that once a group of motor units are tired or
painful they are centrally inhibited from being recruited22.

The electromyographic data from this study, along with
the data from Carlson et al.22 (1998) do not support the use
of EMG on an integrated surface as a means to differentiate
patients with TMD from controls, even when they are
exposed to standard stresses with a significant level of
physiological and emotional activation23.

In most studies the EMG activity is increased at rest for
TMD patients, corroborating the above information.
Nevertheless, Chandu et al.23 (2004) and Hugger et al.10 (2012)
concluded that the isolated assessment of EMG activity of the
masseter and temporal muscles is not able to evaluate and
distinguish the TMD patients from orofacial pain-free individuals.

The muscle asymmetry during chewing activity is seen
predominantly in patients with TMD24. However, Rodrigues-
Bigaton et al.25 (2010) found no significant difference between
TMD or healthy patients when assessing muscle asymmetry. It
is observed that all individuals including the healthy ones have
some degree of MM asymmetry, and that the temporal muscle
is more active compared to the masseter in all subjects10,24-25.

Tartaglia et al.21 (2011) found that the EMG activity of
the masseter, temporalis and sternocleidomastoid muscles is
less symmetrical in TMD patients, however this difference is
not significant, while Hugger et al.10 (2012) report that there
is no difference between the groups as regards symmetry of
the masseter muscle activity, but analyzing the temporal
muscle this difference is verified.

There is no difference between TMD patients and healthy
individuals when observing asymmetry at rest and it can be
seen that healthy individuals exhibit a significant dominance
of temporalis in relation to the masseter muscles. However,
this prevalence does not exist while analyzing asymmetry
during CVM, additionally, dominance between the sides in
the same patient was found in both groups25.

In conclusion, for this population of undergraduate
students, there is no evidence that the presence and severity
of TMD influence the EMG activity of masseter and
temporalis muscles and the muscle asymmetry index at rest
and maximal voluntary contraction.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to São Paulo State University
and Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa (PROPE) for financial support.
No conflicts of interest declared.

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Electromyography and asymmetry index of masticatory muscles in undergraduate students with temporomandibular disorders

Braz J Oral Sci. 14(2)176-181