Direction of a bite force determines the pattern of activity in jaw-closing muscles

Human individuals were hypothesized to use the same pattern of jaw muscle activity to produce the same bite force. To test this hypothesis, we used a 2-mm-thick force transducer to monitor the magnitude and direction of a bite force between a single pair of occluding first molars. Five subjects performed standardized bite force tasks. Six different magnitudes were tested, each in five directions. The surface electromyographic (EMG) activity in the left and right masseter and temporalis muscles was recorded, integrated, and normalized. Ratios of the EMG activity of paired muscles (e.g., the ratio of working temporalis and working masseter) were calculated for each bite force task. Each ratio was roughly constant for each direction of bite force, regardless of its magnitude. In contrast, when the magnitude of bite force was the same but the directions were different, the ratio was not constant. We conclude that the direction of a bite force, not its magnitude, determines the pattern of activity of jaw-closing muscles. The shared patterns of muscle activation may be the result of a subconscious optimization of jaw muscle forces to improve efficiency.