Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

CiteULike is a free service for managing and discovering scholarly references - click here to get started.

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Journal of Dental Research
This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Häggman-Henrikson, B.
Right arrow Articles by Eriksson, P.-O.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Häggman-Henrikson, B.
Right arrow Articles by Eriksson, P.-O.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Clinical

Head Immobilization can Impair Jaw Function

B. Häggman-Henrikson1, E. Nordh2, H. Zafar1 and P.-O. Eriksson1,*

1 Department of Odontology, Clinical Oral Physiology, Umeå University, S-901 87, Umeå, Sweden, and Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Gävle University, Sweden; and
2 Clinical Neurophysiology, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Umeå University, Sweden

Correspondence: * corresponding author, per-olof.eriksson{at}odont.umu.se

Findings that jaw-opening/-closing relies on both mandibular and head movements suggest that jaw and neck muscles are jointly activated in jaw function. This study tested the hypothesis that rhythmic jaw activities involve an active repositioning of the head, and that head fixation can impair jaw function. Concomitant mandibular and head-neck movements were recorded during rhythmic jaw activities in 12 healthy adults, with and without fixation of the head. In four participants, the movement recording was combined with simultaneous registration of myoelectric activity in jaw and neck muscles. The results showed neck muscle activity during jaw opening with and without head fixation. Notably, head fixation led to reduced mandibular movements and shorter duration of jaw-opening/-closing cycles. The findings suggest recruitment of neck muscles in jaw activities, and that head fixation can impair jaw function. The results underline the jaw and neck neuromuscular relationship in jaw function.

Key Words: human • head • neck • jaw • movement

Journal of Dental Research, Vol. 85, No. 11, 1001-1005 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/154405910608501105
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?