Frequency analyses of EMG power spectra of anterior temporal and masseter muscles in children and adults.

Abstract

To study the functional change of masticatory muscles during growth and development, frequency analyses of surface electromyogram (EMG) power spectra were carried out. The subjects were six children (five males and one female), aged 4.5 +/- 0.2 years, having full deciduous dentition (Hellman's dental age IIA) and six adults (four males and two females), aged 27.7 +/- 3.8 years, having full permanent dentition. EMG signals were recorded bilaterally by using bipolar silver-surface electrodes from the anterior temporal and masseter muscles while the subjects were chewing gum and while performing maximum clenching in the intercuspal position. A fast Fourier transform algorithm was used to obtain the power-spectral density function and the power spectra of the EMG signals. Since the total power value from 62.5 to 1000 Hz was 100 percent, the frequencies at 25, 50, 75, and 90 percent of the cumulative power were calculated. The results showed that the frequencies at every percent of the cumulative power were age-dependent and that the EMG power spectra patterns in adult muscles were shifted to significantly lower frequencies than those in child muscles. The shift was probably caused by differences in the proportion of fiber type and fiber size between muscles of children and adults.