Electrical stimulation of mental nerve to produce inhibitory action in bruxism treatment

Abstract

Bruxism is an excessive clenching and involuntary parafunctional grinding of the teeth during sleep. It can cause damage to dental structures and temporomandibular joint dysfunction. An evaluation was performed on the effects over the masseter and temporalis anterior muscles in subjects with and without bruxism when electrical stimulation is applied to the right mental nerve. The results showed that, on average, the percentage decrease in the bruxist group for the right masseter was 25.02% and for the left masseter 25.87%. These results indicate that the inhibitory system produces an important decrease in the electrical activity of the two muscles, so it is a good starting point for a possible treatment in patients with bruxism and to develop new electronic stimulators. © The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2013.