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Updated: May 6, 2026
Author Spotlight: 3D Movement Assessment of Maxillary Posterior Teeth in Clear Aligner Treatment
Published on: February 23, 2024
Effects of orthodontic aligners on 24-hour masseter muscle activity: a multiple-day electromyographic study
A Colonna1,2, F Lobbezoo3, G Gravili2
1School of Dentistry, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.
Objective:
This study aimed to assess the effects of aligners on masseter muscle activity by using an electromyographic device in the home environment.
Methods:
The study was performed on healthy patients who required orthodontic treatment. Three different 24 h-EMG recording sessions were performed in different conditions: without aligners, with passive aligners, and with active aligners. The non-functional MMA work index (nfMMA-WI) and the non-functional MMA time index (nfMMA-TI) for both awake and sleep hours were assessed. ANOVA test was used to compare the average activity during the three recording conditions.
Results:
On average, a total recording time of 204.7 ± 7.9 hours were provided for each patient. For most patients, ANOVA test showed an absence of significant differences between the recording sessions.
Conclusions:
The impact of our results is not negligible: clinicians can find remarkable support to the hypothesis that the use of aligners affects the MMA only in a minority of subjects.
