Journal of Dental Research, Vol 75, 1372-1380, Copyright © 1996 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals

ARTICLES

Jaw muscle orientation and moment arms of long-face and normal adults

P. H. van Spronsen, W. A. Weijs, F. C. van Ginkel and B. Prahl-Andersen
Department of Orthodontics, Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), The Netherlands.

Long-face subjects have strongly reduced bite forces relative to normal subjects. This difference cannot be fully explained by the reduced cross-sectional area of the jaw muscles. In this study, we investigated whether the orientation and moment arms of the jaw muscles of normal and long-face subjects are different, and if so, to what extent these differences contribute to the observed differences in maximum molar bite-force levels. Three MRI scan series with different orientations were made of the jaw muscles of 30 normal and 13 long-face subjects. These served as the basis for computer reconstructions of the external shape of the muscles. The spatial orientation of the jaw muscles was defined by the regression line through the centroids of the muscular cross-sections. The moment arms of the jaw muscles and the bite point of the first mandibular molar were measured with respect to the center of the ipsilateral condyle. The muscular variables-including angles, moment arms, and mechanical advantage-were analyzed with a discriminant analysis and a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Differences in the spatial orientation of the temporalis muscle and the anterior digastric muscle contributed most to the distinction of the normal and long-face group. With MANOVA, it was shown that the normal and long-face group did not significantly differ with respect to the jaw muscle moment arms and mechanical advantage data. Only small differences were found between the sagittal muscle angles of the masseter and anterior digastric muscles in the two groups. In both the normal and long-face group, the orientation and moment arm data of the right and left muscles differed significantly. It was concluded that the variation of the spatial orientation of the jaw muscles is small and does not significantly contribute to the explanation of the different molar bite-force levels of long-face and normal subjects. Therefore, it is tempting to assume that the jaw muscles of normal and long-face subjects are different with respect to the maximum force they can exert per unit of cross-sectional area.

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