Effect of Cotton Roll Biting on Auditory Evoked Magnetic Fields

The effects of change in occlusal pressure on the cortical mechanisms responsible for hearing were investigated. Changes in the magnetic field in response to auditory stimulation when subjects (5 healthy, right-handed, male volunteers aged between 22 and 30 years) bit a cotton roll were analyzed by using magnetoencephalography. All equivalent current dipoles estimated from the fields obtained under 3 different bite force conditions were closely localized within 1 mm of those obtained in the non-bite control group. No significant difference was observed between the bite and non-bite conditions in the latency of the 100-ms component (N100 m) of the magnetic fields. The amplitude of the N100 m component decreased with increase in bite pressure in both the right and left hemispheres (p<0.05). These results suggest that an increase in bite pressure influences auditory function.