Masseter Muscle Adaptation Following Orthognathic Surgery – MRI Analysis

Categoria: Cirurgia Maxilofacial

Autores: Fernando Duarte, João Neves Silva, Colin Hopper, Nigel Hunt.

Referência: SCIENTIFIC ARCHIVES OF DENTAL SCIENCES – Volume 3 Issue 7 July 2020
ISSN: 2642-1623

Abstract: Orthodontic and surgical technical advances in recent years have resulted in treatment opportunities for a whole range of craniofacial
skeletal disorders either in the adolescent or adult patient. In the growing child these can include myofunctional orthodontic
appliance therapy or distraction osteogenesis procedures, whilst in the adult the mainstay approach revolves around orthognathic
surgery.
The literature agrees that for a change in craniofacial morphology to remain stable, the muscles acting upon the facial skeleton
must be capable of adaptation in their structure and, therefore, their function. Failure of the muscles to adapt to the change in their
length or orientation will place undesirable forces on the muscle attachments leading to potential instability of the skeleton. Adaptation
can occur through various processes including those within the neuromuscular feedback mechanism, through changes within
muscle structure or through altered muscle physiology, and through changes at the muscle/bone interface.
This prospective, case controlled clinical study was designed to provide information in relation to masticatory muscle adaptation
following orthognathic surgery. Both for ease of access, and in order to provide data suitable for comparison with previous studies of
muscle function, the muscle chosen for investigation was the masseter muscle.
It is now accepted that because there is no single method of assessing masticatory function, several measures should be taken,
and whenever possible, simultaneously.