[Electromyographic activity (EMG) of masseter and temporal muscles in edentulous patients before and after complete dentures].

Abstract

Electromyographic records from the temporal and masseter muscles of 19 edentulous patients were made, before and 30 days after wearing complete dentures. The purpose of this study was to determine the electromyographic changes: The amplitude of electromyographic records from de temporal muscles decreased, while those from the masseter muscles increased. These results suggest that the use of complete denture provokes electromyographic changes by increasing the occlusal vertical dimension and, thus, periodical electromyographic records from temporal and masseter muscles could be useful for determining the time for complete denture change.