Galo Rodrigo, Vitti Mathias, Mattos Maria da Glória Chiarello, Regalo Simone Cecílio Hallak
Department of Morphology, Stomatology, and Physiology, Laboratory of Electromyography, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo University, São Paulo, Brazil.
Gerodontology. 2007 Dec;24(4):244-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-2358.2007.00170.x.
Old-age is the last stage of human evolution and, unfortunately, the ageing of the oral cavity and masticatory system seems accelerated. As a consequence, there is a reduction in the amount of food ingested, which can lead to an imbalance in nutrition.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of muscular activation of elderly individuals, during chewing, and to compare with young individuals.
An electromyographical analysis of the masticatory system in 10 individuals aged between 60 and 75 years (elderly group) and a similar number between 23-30 years old (young group - control) was carried out. The analysis was performed using a MyoSystem-Br1 electromyographer with differential active electrodes. The test was recorded during functional conditions, and the muscles assessed were the temporalis and masseter. Data were normalised by maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), and the results were analysed using an independent t-test for comparison between the groups.
The normalised electromyographic data obtained showed significant differences in both groups. Comparing the normalised values obtained for MVC, the mean values for the masseter and temporalis muscles of elderly group were statistically lower (p </= 0.05) than control group for harder foods, but there were no significant differences for food with the lowest consistency.
It can be concluded that elderly individuals show slight hypoactivity of their masticatory musculature during chewing when compared to young individuals.
老年是人类进化的最后阶段，不幸的是，口腔和咀嚼系统的老化似乎加速了。因此，摄入的食物量减少，这可能导致营养失衡。
本研究的目的是调查老年人咀嚼时肌肉激活水平，并与年轻人进行比较。
对10名年龄在60至75岁之间的个体（老年组）和数量相近的23至30岁个体（年轻组 - 对照组）的咀嚼系统进行肌电图分析。使用带有差分有源电极的MyoSystem-Br1肌电图仪进行分析。测试在功能状态下记录，评估的肌肉为颞肌和咬肌。数据通过最大自主收缩（MVC）进行标准化，并使用独立t检验分析结果以比较两组之间的差异。
获得的标准化肌电图数据显示两组之间存在显著差异。比较MVC获得的标准化值，对于较硬食物，老年组咬肌和颞肌的平均值在统计学上低于对照组（p≤0.05），但对于一致性最低的食物则无显著差异。
可以得出结论，与年轻人相比，老年人在咀嚼时咀嚼肌肉组织表现出轻微的活动不足。
