The silent period in the masseter and the anterior temporal muscles at repeated registrations

Three dental nurses took part in an investigation of the reproducibility of the EMG silent period. The latency and duration of the silent period after tooth tapping and jaw jerk were found to be rather stable within the same day and between recordings every other day for 10 days. No differences in the SP variables between right and left side were found. Differences in the latency and duration of the silent period between the masseter and anterior temporal muscles during tooth tapping and jaw jerk were registered. The findings suggest functional difference between the two muscles.