Bilateral treatment of the masseter with botulinum toxin: Consequences for mastication, muscle force and the mandibular condyle

Clinical use of botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) in masticatory muscles is usually bilateral, but most studies on the functional consequences of BoNT treatment have used unilaterally treated animals.

To test the hypothesis that bilateral BoNT treatment of the rabbit masseter hampers mastication and to assess its effects on bone density of the mandibular condyles.

Ten 5-month-old female rabbits received injections of BoNT into both masseter muscles and nine sham animals received saline. Body weight, incisor bite force during masseter tetany, and surface and fine-wire electromyography (EMG) of the masseter and medial pterygoid muscles were assessed at regular intervals. Half the sample was terminated after 4 weeks and the remainder after 12 weeks. Muscles were weighed and mandibular condyles were scanned with microCT to analyse bone density.

BoNT rabbits lost weight and required a soft-food diet. Incisor occlusal force plummeted after BoNT injection and remained lower than the shams. The duration of masticatory cycles was increased in the BoNT rabbits for 5 weeks, with most of the increase due to the adductor burst. Masseteric EMG amplitude began to improve at Week 5, but remained low on the working side throughout the experiment. At the 12-week endpoint, masseter muscles were smaller in the BoNT rabbits. Medial pterygoid muscles did not compensate. Condylar bone density was reduced.

Bilateral treatment of the rabbit masseter by BoNT severely affected chewing performance. Even after a 3-month recovery period, deficits remained in bite force, muscle size and condylar bone density.