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Periodontal-Masseteric Reflexes Decrease with Tooth Pre-load

¹ Research Centre for Human Movement Control, Discipline of Physiology, School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, University of Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia; and
² Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine & Centre for Brain Research, Ege University, Izmir 35100, Turkey

^* corresponding author, turker.77{at}gmail.com

The responses of incisal periodontal mechanoreceptors to increasing mechanical stimulation are known to follow a hyperbolic-saturating course. The implications of these properties for the reflexive control of bite-force have not been examined directly. In line with the abovementioned receptor characteristics, we hypothesized that the periodontal-masseteric reflex will reduce as a function of increasing incisal pre-load. In 10 participants, a central incisor was repeatedly tapped (0.4 N). We measured the modulation by pre-load (0.2–2.0 N) of the reflex frequency-response at and between 3 and 20 Hz. The entrainment of the reflex increased with frequency up to 20 Hz and diminished with increasing pre-load. Importantly, the hyperbolic relationship shown here between the periodontal-masseteric reflex and tooth pre-load agreed with the load/response relationships predicted by single-receptor and tooth movement studies. This study demonstrated that periodontal mechano-receptors are able to contribute to the ongoing control of only small bite-forces.

KEY WORDS: periodontal mechanoreceptors • masseter • reflex • saturation