Mechanobehaviour in dolichofacial and brachyfacial adolescents

Objectives: To test whether mechanobehaviour (temporomandibular joint (TMJ) loads, jaw muscle use) was different between facial types and correlated with ramus height (Condylion-Gonion, mm). Setting and Sample Population: University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Orthodontic Clinic. Ten dolichofacial and ten brachyfacial adolescents (Sella-Nasion–Gonion-Gnathion (SN-GoGn) angles ≥37° and ≤27°, respectively) consented to participate. Materials and Methods: Numerical models calculated TMJ loads for a range of static biting based on subjects’ three-dimensional anatomy. Subjects were trained to record jaw muscle electromyography (EMG) over 2 days and 2 nights in their natural environments. Laboratory EMG/bite-force calibrations determined subject-specific EMG for 20 N bite-force (T_20Nave). Jaw muscle use via duty factors (DF=muscle activity duration/total recording time, %) was determined from day and night recordings for muscle-specific thresholds from ≥5% to ≥80%T_20Nave. ANOVA and Tukey's HSD post hoc tests assessed for group differences in mechanobehaviour (TMJ loads, DFs). Regression modelling correlated subjects’ normalized TMJ loads, DFs and ramus height. Results: Dolichofacial compared to brachyfacial subjects produced significantly higher (P<.05) TMJ loads, where ipsilateral loads were ≥20% larger for some biting angles, but had significantly less (all P<.05) masseter (day, night) and temporalis (night) DFs. Regression analysis showed a significant relationship amongst normalized TMJ loads, masseter DF and ramus height (R²=.49). Conclusions: Mechanobehaviour showed significant differences between facial types and was correlated with ramus height.