Differences in the fatigue of masticatory and neck muscles between male and female

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of fatigue and recovery of masticatory and neck muscles and the differences between sexes in normal subjects during experimentally induced loading. Subjects consisted of eight males (mean age: 27.6 years) and eight females (mean age: 24.2 years) selected from the volunteers in the Faculty of Dentistry, Hiroshima University. The inclusion criteria for the subjects were as follows: (1) good general health, (2) normal horizontal and vertical skeletal relationships, (3) no severe malocclusions and (4) no complaints of temporomandibular disorders. Each subject was requested to bite an occlusal-force meter with 98, 196 and 294 N forces on the first molar region per side for 45 s. Activities of the masseter and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscles were recorded during these performances. Fatigue and recovery ratios were calculated with mean power frequency of power spectrum using a fast Fourier transform algorithm. Significant differences in the fatigue ratios between both sexes were found for the masseter muscle with 98, 196 and 294 N bite forces. Meanwhile, the SCM presented a significant difference between both sexes only at 98 N biting. Significant differences in the recovery ratios between both sexes were more prominent in the masseter muscle than in the SCM. These results suggest that the differences in muscle endurance between sexes may have some association with higher susceptibility of craniomandibular disorders in females than in males.