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Surface electromyography of facial muscles during natural and artificial feeding of infants
Cristiane F Gomes1, Ercília M C Trezza, Emílio C M Murade
1Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. cfg.fono@flash.tv.br
Insights
Infant feeding methods impact jaw muscle activity. Breastfeeding and cup-feeding show similar muscle engagement, unlike bottle-feeding, which may affect oral development.
Area of Science:
- Oral physiology
- Infant development
- Biomechanical analysis
Background:
- Understanding infant feeding mechanics is crucial for proper oral and facial development.
- Different feeding methods may influence the activity of masticatory muscles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the electromyographic activity of the masseter, temporalis, and buccinator muscles during various infant feeding methods.
- To evaluate the functional differences between breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, and cup-feeding in infants.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 60 healthy infants (2-3 months old).
- Infants were grouped by feeding method: exclusive breastfeeding, breastfeeding plus bottle-feeding, and exclusive breastfeeding plus cup-feeding.
- Surface electromyography measured muscle activity during feeding, analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis tests.
Main Results:
- Breastfeeding showed significantly higher masseter muscle activity (range and mean contraction) compared to bottle-feeding.
- Temporalis muscle activity was also significantly higher in the breastfeeding group versus the bottle-feeding group.
- Buccinator muscle activity showed higher range of contraction in breastfeeding compared to bottle-feeding.
Conclusions:
- Cup-feeding demonstrates muscle activity patterns similar to breastfeeding, suggesting it as a viable alternative.
- Bottle-feeding resulted in distinct muscle activity, particularly buccinator hyperactivity, potentially impacting stomatognathic system development.
- Cup-feeding may be preferable to bottle-feeding for promoting healthy oral motor function in infants.
Objective:
To measure and compare the activity of the masseter, temporalis and buccinator muscles in different infant feeding methods.
Method:
Cross-sectional study of 60 full-term infants with no intercurrent diseases, aged between two and three months, classified into the following groups: 1) exclusive breastfeeding; 2) breastfeeding plus bottle-feeding; and 3) exclusive breastfeeding plus cup feeding. Surface electromyography was performed during infant feeding. The Krushal-Wallis test was used, complemented by multiple paired comparisons of the groups. A 5% significance level was chosen for the tests.
Results:
Statistically higher results were verified in the breastfeeding group in relation to the bottle-feeding one, both in the range of movement and the mean contraction of the masseter. With regard to the temporalis muscle, statistically higher results were found in the breastfeeding group comparatively to the bottle-feeding one. As to the buccinator muscle, statistically higher results were observed in the breastfeeding group in relation to the bottle-feeding one, although in this case, the difference concerned only the range of contraction.
Conclusion:
The similarities between the muscle activity in the breastfeeding and in the cup-feeding groups suggests that cup-feeding can be used as an alternative infant feeding method, being better than bottle-feeding, due to the hyperactivity of the buccinator muscle, which could result in changes to the structural growth and development of the stomatognathic system functions.
