Department of Oral Health and Clinical Science, Division of Sports Dentistry, Tokyo Dental College, Tokyo, Japan.
Department of Oral Health and Clinical Science, Division of Special Needs Dentistry and Orofacial Pain, Tokyo Dental College, Tokyo, Japan.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2024;1463:341-345. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-67458-7_55.
Gum chewing is used in orofacial therapy to improve oral functions, such as a patient's chewing ability, bite force, tongue pressure, and lip closure strength. However, its effects on masseter muscle oxygen dynamics and muscle activity may vary with the hardness and features of the gum base. Therefore, when considering gum chewing for therapeutic purposes, it is essential to select gum of an appropriate hardness. This study aimed to elucidate the impact of gum hardness differences on masseter muscle tissue oxygen dynamics and muscle activity. We conducted a 120-s gum chewing study using three types of gum with different hardness levels on 11 healthy adult males. Each patient's masseter muscle tissue oxygen dynamics, muscle activity, and heart rate were measured, and the extent of masseter fatigue was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Per our findings, as gum hardness increased, significant reductions in oxygen saturation (StO) and significant increases in deoxyhaemoglobin (Deoxy-Hb) concentrations were observed in masseter muscle tissue oxygen dynamics. Likewise, muscle activity, heart rate, and muscle fatigue (according to VAS) also increased significantly as gum hardness increased. The findings of this study reveal that increasing gum base hardness not only affects masseter muscle tissue oxygen dynamics but also increases muscle activity, masseter fatigue, and heart rate. When selecting gum for orofacial therapy involving gum chewing exercises, it is crucial to choose the appropriate gum.
咀嚼口香糖常用于口腔面治疗以改善口腔功能，如患者的咀嚼能力、咬合力、舌压和唇闭合力。然而，其对口轮匝肌氧动力学和肌肉活动的影响可能因胶基的硬度和特性而异。因此，在考虑将口香糖用于治疗目的时，选择适当硬度的口香糖至关重要。本研究旨在阐明口香糖硬度差异对口轮匝肌组织氧动力学和肌肉活动的影响。我们对 11 名健康成年男性进行了 120 秒的口香糖咀嚼研究，使用了三种不同硬度的口香糖。测量每位患者的口轮匝肌组织氧动力学、肌肉活动和心率，并使用视觉模拟量表（VAS）评估口轮匝肌疲劳程度。根据我们的发现，随着口香糖硬度的增加，口轮匝肌组织氧动力学中的氧饱和度（StO）显著降低，脱氧血红蛋白（Deoxy-Hb）浓度显著升高。同样，随着口香糖硬度的增加，肌肉活动、心率和肌肉疲劳（根据 VAS）也显著增加。本研究的结果表明，增加胶基硬度不仅会影响口轮匝肌组织氧动力学，还会增加肌肉活动、口轮匝肌疲劳和心率。在选择用于涉及咀嚼口香糖运动的口腔面治疗的口香糖时，选择合适的口香糖至关重要。
