The use of a custom-made mouthguard stabilizes the electromyographic activity of the masticatory muscles among Karate-Dō athletes.
AIMS
To analyze and compare the electromyographic activity of the temporal (anterior portion) and masseter muscles among Karate-Dō athletes before and after training, with and without the use of a mouthguard.


METHODS
Twenty athletes (14 males and 6 females) with a mean age of 23.7 ± 7.5 years participated. They had surface electromyography recordings taken of their bilateral temporal and masseter muscles before and after training under the following conditions: no mouthguard, with a ready-made mouthguard, and with a custom-made mouthguard. Activity was examined at mandibular rest, while clenching, and at maximum voluntary contraction. The data were normalized using the mean maximum voluntary contraction.


RESULTS
The right (p = 0.005) and left (p = 0.015) temporal muscles showed significantly lower electromyographic activity with a custom-made mouthguard compared with no mouthguard after training while clenching. The electromyographic activity of the temporal and masseter muscles did not show significant differences when tested at mandibular rest and while clenching before or after training with a custom-made mouthguard (p > 0.05).


CONCLUSION
The use of a custom-made mouthguard preserved participants' electromyographic profiles before and after training; thus, they allow for stable muscle activity during the training of Karate-Dō athletes.
['Raquel|Gilsane|G|', 'Namba|Eli Luis|EL|', 'Bonotto|Daniel|D|', 'Ribeiro Rosa|Edvaldo Antônio|EA|', 'Trevilatto|Paula Cristina|PC|', 'Naval Machado|Maria Ângela|MÂ|', 'Vianna-Lara|Michelle Santos|MS|', 'Azevedo-Alanis|Luciana Reis|LR|']
D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D056352:Athletes D004576:Electromyography D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008297:Male D016139:Martial Arts D008406:Masseter Muscle D008410:Masticatory Muscles D009064:Mouth Protectors D009119:Muscle Contraction D013703:Temporal Muscle D055815:Young Adult
Facial injuries Injury prevention Martial arts