The influence of the herpes simplex virus on jaw muscle function.

AbstractThis article reports on electromyographic and electronic mandibular motion analysis examinations given to 25 patients with clinical symptoms of the temporomandibular joint. Twenty-three of the 25 had clear clinical histories of herpetic viral infections (HSV-I). In those 23 subjects, the electromyograph (EMG) showed dysfunction of the masticatory muscles typical of permanent motor neuron damage.Several other studies reported in the medical literature have suggested that herpetic virus infection is associated with the neuromuscular dysfunction typically seen in the temporomandibular syndrome. The results of this preliminary study support those findings and indicate that the herpetic virus may well be involved in TMJ muscle dysfunction.