Abstract:
PURPOSE:
to compare the masticatory muscle electrical activity pattern of obese and eutrophic children during muscle on-off timing using surface electromyography.
METHODS:
a total of 32 children from 6 to 12 years of age were divided into two equal groups - 16 obese and 16 eutrophic children - and assessed. The variables studied included the electromyography activity of the muscles of mastication (anterior temporalis, masseter and orbicularis oris) during rest, maximum voluntary contraction, mastication (regular and directed), and swallowing. For statistical analysis, the median, and the first and third quartiles were found and the Wilcoxon test was used, considering significance level of p < 0.05.
RESULTS:
obese children showed similarities in muscle activation compared with eutrophic children during maximum voluntary contraction and rest. However, for dynamic activities - regular and directed mastication and swallowing - obese children had lower muscle activation medians than eutrophic children in most proposed situations, both in the activation period (on) and in the inactivation period (off), with significant statistical difference (p < .05).
CONCLUSION:
obese children, probably due to excessive facial adiposity, present changes in the conditioning of the masticatory muscles, which are reflected in the performance of the stomatognathic system.
Keywords:
Nutritional Status; Child; Stomatognathic System; Electromyography; Mastication; Deglutition
