Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Coordinate Mapping of Hyolaryngeal Mechanics in Swallowing
Published on: May 6, 2014
Swallowing changes related to chronic temporomandibular disorders
Carlos Eduardo Fassicollo1, Bárbara Cristina Zanandréa Machado2, Denny Marcos Garcia2
1Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo - USP, Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14049-900, Brazil.
Objectives:
To investigate whether chronic temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients showed any changes in swallowing compared to a control group. Moreover, it was examined whether swallowing variables and a valid clinic measure of orofacial myofunctional status were associated.
Material And Methods:
Twenty-three patients with chronic TMD, diagnosed with disc displacement with reduction (DDR) and pain, according to the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD), and 27 healthy volunteers (control group) were compared. Surface electromyography (EMG) of the temporalis, masseter, sternocleidomastoid, and suprahyoid muscles was performed during swallowing tasks of thin liquid (10 and 15 mL) and spontaneous saliva. Data were normalized.
Results:
Compared to the control group, TMD patients showed a prolonged duration of swallowing for liquid and saliva and required a longer time to reach the activity peak and half the integral. While the overall mean value of the relative peaks was similar for the groups, the suprahyoid peak was significantly lower in the TMD group during swallowing of liquid. Moreover, TMD patients recruited the jaw elevator muscles proportionally more than controls. The orofacial myofunctional status was moderately correlated with EMG parameters.
Conclusion:
Patients with chronic TMD showed temporal prolongation and changes in the relative activity of the muscles during the swallowing tasks.
Clinical Relevance:
The present results contribute additional evidence regarding the reorganization of muscle activity in patients with chronic TMD.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Chronic Bowel Disorders: Introduction
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The distinctive feature is recurrent abdominal pain associated with altered bowel movements, manifesting as constipation, diarrhea, or fluctuating between both. The...
Upper GI Series: Barium Swallow
Purpose and Procedure
Patients undergoing this procedure ingest a liquid containing barium sulfate with a chalky...
Intrinsically Disordered Proteins
Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
Disorders of Erythrocytes
Erythrocyte disorders can be broadly categorized into two main types: anemic and polycythemic conditions.
A low oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood due to the loss, lower production, or destruction of erythrocytes is termed anemia. Hemorrhagic anemia, for example, occurs when bleeding from an external wound or internal ulcer reduces erythrocyte counts.
On the other...
Disorders of Leukocytes
Leukopenia may result from bone marrow disorders, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases. For example, conditions such as multiple myeloma and aplastic anemia can impair the bone marrow's ability to produce adequate leukocytes. Similarly, autoimmune diseases like lupus and viral infections such as HIV can prompt the immune...

