Surface Electromyography (sEMG) Activity of Masticatory Muscle (Masseter and Temporalis) with Three Different Types of Orthodontic Bracket

Objective. This pre-post study is aimed at determining the effects of masticatory muscle activity (masseter and temporalis) measured via sEMG between conventional, self-ligating, and ceramic bracket after six months of orthodontic treatment. Methods. A total of eighteen (18) malocclusion patients were identified. Malocclusion patients were subdivided into 3 groups based on the bracket selection (conventional, self-ligating, and ceramic bracket) with 6 patients for each group. sEMG of muscles were done using a two-channel electromyography device, where pregelled and self-adhesive electrodes (bilateral) were applied. Chewing and clenching of masseter and temporalis muscle activity were recorded for 20 s pre and 6 months of orthodontic treatment using sEMG (frequency 60 Hz). The data were analysed by using repeated measures ANOVA in IBM SPSS Statistics Version 24.0. Results. Chewing and clenching for masseter muscle showed no significant difference ( P > 0.05 ) in sEMG activity of three types of the brackets. However, for temporalis muscle, there was a significant difference found in sEMG activity during chewing ( P < 0.05 ) and clenching ( P < 0.05 ) between these three brackets. Conclusion. The activity of temporalis muscle showed significant changes in chewing and clenching, where the conventional group demonstrated better muscle activity pre and at six months of fixed appliances.