BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Surface electromyography (SE) provides a non invasive evaluation of the bioelectric phenomenon of the evaluated muscle at rest, as well as the comparison with its activity during muscle contraction. This study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of SE in patients with temporomandibular disorders according to Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) axis I criteria. CONTENTS: Literature was reviewed as from LILACS, Medline and Scielo databases in the period from January 1987 to February 2012. Randomized controlled clinical trials, clinical trials and clinical tests evaluating signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) diagnosed according to RDC/TMD were included. Search strategy has resulted in 182 articles of which eight have fulfilled inclusion criteria, being one randomized clinical trial and seven longitudinal studies without randomization criteria. In all studies, SE was the method used to detect and evaluate electric activity of masticatory muscles (body of the masseter and anterior temporal bundle), being somewhat easily applied and following test standards. However, different experimental models and sample selections were used, making difficult the comparison of results. CONCLUSION: In spite of the limitations of this study, it was possible to observe that although SE should not be used to diagnose TMD, it may help the follow up of TMD treatment evolution.
Electromyography; Masseter; Masticatory muscles; Research Diagnostic Criteria; Surface electromyography; Temporal
