Use of surface electromyography for diagnosis of tongue dysfunctions

An imbalance in forces exerted by lips, tongue and cheeks on occlusion may lead to the formation and consolidation of malocclusions. Elimination of muscular dysfunctions in an orthodontic therapy plan helps obtain stable treatment outcomes. Dysfunctions of the orofacial system, i.e. an infantile swallowing pattern, speech defects, habitual breathing through the mouth are of special attention.

Aim
The aim of this study is to optimize the method used to diagnose tongue dysfunctions in patients with malocclusions.

Material and methods
The study included 75 patients aged between 5 and 13 years. Patients divided into two groups. The study group included 58 subjects diagnosed with posterior malocclusions complicated by a tongue dysfunction; the comparative group included 17 subjects diagnosed with posterior malocclusions. The bioelectrical activity of the orbicularis oris muscle was measured with a two-channel device for measuring surface electromyography signals, NuTrac Alpha2E. Proper measurements were performed in the contraction-relaxation mode.

Results
A statistically significant difference was found between the study group and the comparative group regarding the dRMM variable measured in relaxation on lower and upper lip (p < 0.05).

Conclusions
Surface electromyography is a good tool for diagnosing tongue dysfunctions in children. The use of ROC curves in a statistical analysis allows to estimate which subjects might have tongue dysfunctions in relation to lip tension variables